Itadakimasu!
by Phoenyx634
Summary: An eccentric young woman wakes up in Rukongai, and soon ends up on the road to becoming a shinigami. Also, she develops an instant crush on Rukia's sexy brother.
1. Chapter 1: Rebirth

**Author's note:**

 **Outline:**

 **Powerful female original character, eventual pairing with Byakuya, cuz he's so sexy.**

 **Set shortly after Aizen's defeat in Soul Society, AU after that (I'm not following the manga/ anime timeskip).**

 **Ichigo's at home, and won't be featuring in my story. Much. Probably.**

 **Read the author's note at the end of this chapter for more info :)**

* * *

 **Rebirth**

* * *

My eyes opened slowly, because the daylight was harsh and bright.

 _What happened?_ A lingering ache that may have been fully-fledged pain at some point in the near past dwindled and then disappeared, leaving my body unmarked and intact. Whatever had been the cause of the phantom pain, and why it had suddenly vanished, I could not tell. I seemed to have no memory at all of how I'd come to this place.

The second thing I noticed was that I was clothed in white robe-like outfit, crossing over at the chest and bound loosely around my waist with a plain white tie. I sat up slowly, shading my eyes to get my first look at where I had landed up.

It was then that I noticed the wreckage of the house I was sitting in, as if I'd been a meteor that had been spat out of the clear blue sky. I also saw the sizable group of ragged-looking people who were crowded around me in curious circle.

"Um." this seemed to sum up my entire train of thought perfectly, so I left it at that. I scratched my head, bemused, and noticed that I had long hair to elbow-length, a little too dark to be truly described as blonde, though it was close. The ends fell into loose curls. I wondered briefly what my face looked like.

A tall man with an authoritative bearing despite the ragged clothes he wore pushed through the crowd towards me. People moved to make way, bobbing their heads respectfully as he passed. I blinked at him curiously as he crouched down in front of me with a thoughtful expression.

"Unusual." he remarked, cocking his head.

 _I am... unusual?_ At least that was _something._ I didn't seem to remember my name, but now I had one adjective to go on, and I seized onto it like a lifeline. Things were looking up already.

"Souls don't usually arrive with quite so much-" he glanced at the devastation of the wooden structure I had demolished, "er, force."

There was an angry-looking woman standing a little forward from the crowd, and I figured it was likely that she'd owned the building. My mind was buzzing with questions, like _Who am I? Am I a soul, then? Does that mean I'm dead? A ghost? Where is this? What's my name? What's your name? What do I do now...?_ But because I couldn't decide which question was more pertinent, I simply said sheepishly, "Sorry."

The man - and the woman, because I had looked at her when I said it - seemed somewhat taken aback by my politeness, but they rallied quickly. The woman huffed and turned away. The man gingerly patted my shoulder - I could tell he wasn't used to making sympathetic gestures - and said reassuringly, "It's not your fault. You have no memory, right?"

I nodded.

"That's because you're a soul. You were human - you died in the human world - and came here." He gestured vaguely at their surroundings, which, as I glanced about, seemed to be consist of many plain-looking, rickety wooden buildings. It was all very rustic. "This is East Rukongai, the 465th quadrant of Soul Society."

"East Rukongai," I repeated carefully. "Soul Society." One question down, but many had sprung up in it's place. I wondered if I should feel more taken aback by the fact that I'd _died_ and come back as a soul... in some kind of afterlife, it seemed. How strange. However, I found that without any recollection of what my life had been Before, I didn't feel any sense of loss, or panic.

"My name is Han." He straightened and offered me a hand.

Taking it, I got slowly to my feet, dusting wood splinters off my already-dirty white robe. My feet were bare. The top of my head came to Han's shoulder, and that meant I was reasonably tall for a woman. My quick glance downwards also told me my chest was rather flat, which was a little disappointing. As a woman, I would have preferred being a little curvier. But at least everything felt _right_ \- I was pretty sure I'd looked like this when I was alive, too, though I had no memory of it.

"Alright, everyone," Han addressed the crowd loudly, "Show's over! Be about your business!"

With reluctant muttering, the crowd dispersed, disappearing down the narrow dirt streets or into their dilapidated homes. A small group of wide-eyed urchins remained, staring at me.

I smiled absently at them and stretched my arms above my head, feeling the kinks in my spine straightening out. I enjoyed the simple feeling of warm sun on my face, and realized something else.

I felt... strong.

Like I weighed very little, as if in one jump I could leap meters. My body didn't feel particularly muscular, but there was all this... _potential energy_ just _buzzing,_ waiting to be released.

It didn't take long for the sensation to start annoying me.

* * *

"What are you going to do about my shop?" hissed the woman, careful to keep her voice low so the soul basking peacefully in the sun nearby couldn't overhear. The newly arrived soul seemed strangely at peace even after her abrupt rebirth, standing quiet and calm with a dreamy expression on her face.

Han sighed as the woman who _used_ to be the proud owner of a wooden shack glared at him. "I'll help you rebuild," he promised wearily, wondering for the hundredth time why he'd ended up the leader of this squalid sector of the Rukon.

"She's dangerous!" she spat, shooting a suspicious look at the white-robed soul, "I can feel her reiatsu from here. What if-"

"I've already notified the Shinigamis," Han interrupted, speaking in a soothing undertone. He turned his eyes back to the new soul, who was now staring at her hands with a faint frown, for some reason. "Whatever she is, they'll take care of it."

* * *

The sensation was _annoying._ It felt like the drone of an annoying bug, or like watching static on a television screen, and yet it wasn't audible or _visible_ \- it was just _there,_ barely contained beneath my skin. The more I tried to ignore it, the worse it seemed to get.

I considered trying to push it out, but then my eyes caught the building I'd already destroyed, and I looked away guiltily. There had to be another way to control it. I wondered if this was normal for newly arrived souls, but somehow I thought not. _Unusual,_ he'd called me. I pushed the questions of _Why me?_ out of my head. Why wasn't important - I had to figure out what to do.

I looked down at my hands and decided to see if I had any control over this mysterious sensation.

 _Left hand_ , I thought, and concentrated. I imagined the buzzing there going away, but it fought my control. It wanted to be part of me, fizzing like pins-and-needles. If anything, the feeling intensified as soon as I tried altering it. Sweat broke out on my brow as I felt the energy shift, swelling inside me like the surge of an ocean swell.

I staggered slightly as the feeling doubled, then tripled, and I distantly heard Han's worried, "Are you oka-?" but the rest of his words were drowned out by the roaring in my ears. I felt a wild rush of energy, with the strength of a lightning storm, threaten to break free, and I had a sudden notion that if that happened, I'd level the whole block for sure. For a moment I panicked, not knowing what to do-

Then I locked gazes with the small group of urchins, standing close by. Too close. The nearest little boy looked about seven, with large, inquisitive brown eyes that stared at me as I trembled from the effort of holding back whatever-it-was.

His innocent gaze ripped me out of my panic and into action. This was no place for spontaneous combustion! I straightened my back, spreading my feet so I stood firm, braced.

 _Oi,_ I ordered myself furiously, _Get a grip! Whatever's happening, stop it! Right this second! Do you hear me!?_

To my shock, I felt the energy falter, as if it hesitated.

Did that mean... was it... Conscious?

 _Um... hello?_ I addressed myself cautiously, feeling foolish.

 **What?**

The instant, slightly exasperated reply caught me completely off guard.

 _Who are you?_ I asked, bemused. He - I instantly knew it was a he - sounded achingly familiar, but I couldn't place him. Of course, I had no memories, but I knew instinctively that he was important. An important _part_ of me.

 **Never you mind** , the voice retorted, sounding resentful. Perhaps he disliked being yelled at.

The energy was still fighting to break free of my skin, jagged tendrils tearing from my body. I barely noticed it, but all the moisture in the ground and air around me had evaporated, forming thick white clouds of steam. Han could be heard distantly getting the last bystanders to clear the area, but I could no longer see him through the dense swirling fog, centered on me and my own personal drama, unfolding in my head.

 _Seriously, can't you stop that?_ I said sternly. _There are people around here - I don't want them to get hurt!_

 **Are you sure?** questioned the voice, sounding irritated. **You may need me later.**

 _Don't- don't go,_ I said hastily, unsure of why the thought of being separated from the voice was _wrong,_ but equally sure that it was, _Can't you just... Control it?_

 **It's _your_ lack of control that is causing this,** he retorted irritably. **_You_ were the one that woke me up, just now.**

 _Oh._ I said stupidly. _Oops. Well, then... can't you go back to sleep?_

There was a short silence. Then the voice sighed. **Ugh... Fine. But I'm leaving you a gift before I go. You will NOT embarrass me, okay?** He sounded _really_ bad-tempered. **If you do, I'll come out again and kick your ass!**

 _Uh, okay... I understand._ I thought it best to agree meekly.

 **Good.** He seemed satisfied. **Don't bother me again unless it's important... And you're ready to deal with the consequences,** he threatened.

I gulped.

 **Then, 'til next time...** The awareness of his consciousness faded slowly, along with the frightening energy that had accompanied it.

As my focus returned to the present, I looked around at the thick fog which had enveloped me. My gaze fell on the object which had just materialized on the ground at my feet.

It was a long, thin, double-sided sword about a meter in length, complete with an ornate basket hilt curved around the molded grip. _A rapier_ , I somehow just knew it was called. _**(AN: google image "rapier" fyi)**_.

I picked it up, admiring the fine shadows of folded steel along the thin, gleaming edge. It felt right in my hand. Was this the 'present' the voice had left me? Why he thought I needed a _sword,_ I couldn't say.

"Thanks," I murmured. There was no reply.

The fog was dissipating quickly, and I looked up, suddenly aware even before I saw them of five figures, humming with their own suppressed energy, which had just appeared in a ring around me.

"Stay where you are!" commanded a harsh-sounding woman. "Don't move!"

I only had seconds before I would be visible.

I don't even know why I did it, but it seemed like a good idea.

Taking my beautiful new sword, I unceremoniously shoved it into the rubble, and kicked it out of sight underneath the broken wooden planks.

As soon as I straightened again, I found myself staring into the eyes of a short, yet extremely fierce-looking woman wearing a white coat over a black outfit, with her razor-sharp blade gently pressed to my throat.

 _Ah,_ I realised, _Swords are useful here_.

"Captain Soifon," reported one of the others, a man wearing a black mask over his lower face, "She's alone."

 _Shows how much you know,_ I thought smugly, thinking of the mysterious voice. _He_ was with me, curled up somewhere deep inside. I could feel it.

The Captain acknowledged the man's words with the barest nod, not taking her stern gaze away from me. I blinked innocently.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

That was an interesting question, and one I didn't have an answer for yet. I wondered how to respond. _I'm unusual_ , I thought to myself. _I'm s_ _trong._ I thought of the voice, too. _But not alone_.

I smiled. She looked even more suspicious. "I don't have a name." I answered truthfully. A sudden pang made my eyes widen - I was hungry. Like, _ravenously_ hungry. "Do you have any food?" I asked eagerly, mouth watering at the mere _thought_ of sustenance.

Slowly, she lowered her sword.

I didn't even see her other hand flying out to strike the side of my neck, before I dropped like a stone into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **My OC is kinda... eccentric. I want this story to be light-hearted, so I'm writing it as comedy, interspersed with some action and romance.**

 **Why Byakuya? - because I know _I_ wouldn't be able to exist in Soul Society without at least _trying_ to get into Captain Kuchiki's pants.**

 **But I'm writing him as canon as possible, so I think my poor OC is going to get rejected a lot... at least at first ;D**

 **Basically, I'm using Tite Kubo's characters and setting, with my own plot. No rewrites of manga/ anime here. I've had a decent portion written out as a doodle for a long time, so I decided to start posting it. But consistency is not exactly my strong point, so... sorry in advance.**


	2. Chapter 2: Itadakimasu

**Itadakimasu!**

The next time my eyes opened, I found that my fortunes had vastly improved.

For one thing, I was lying in an actual _bed,_ not the dirty wreckage of a wooden building, and I seemed to be wearing actual _clothes;_ namely, a loose-fitting shirt and matching pants the colour of custard.

 _Ooh, custard._ I suddenly remembered how hungry I was.

By the calm and predominantly beige-coloured room, I surmised that this was a hospital. My theory was confirmed seconds later as the sliding door to the room opened and kind-looking woman with long black hair braided down her front entered the room. She beamed when she saw I was awake, then turned and pulled a trolley into the room after her. It was laden with plates of food.

I instantly sat bolt-upright, only just stopping myself from swan-diving out of bed and physically attacking the trolley.

"How do you feel?" she asked serenely, wheeling the trolley tantalisingly closer.

"I'm fine," I said distractedly, focussed on not drooling too obviously.

"That's good." she said, and pulled up a chair to my bedside. She graciously handed me the first item, a bowl of soup. I instantly started demolishing it, foregoing the spoon entirely as I drank from the bowl.

Once finished, I wiped my mouth sheepishly on the back of my hand before belatedly blurting out, "Thanks."

I eyed the next plate - what looked like steak and assorted vegetables - and she obligingly exchanged it for the empty soup bowl.

"I imagine you have many questions," she started, after a moment of observing my expert knife skills slicing up the steak into the biggest pieces I thought was humanly possible to swallow.

Talking would have been counter-productive to the task at hand, so I merely nodded, trying to show my interest in the conversation by the curiosity in my eyes. Answers were _very_ welcome.

"My name is Unohana Retsu," she started, speaking in a calm, slow voice. I decided that she was probably my favourite person in the world so far. I couldn't help but be relaxed in her presence. And she'd brought _food._ "I'm the captain of the Fourth Division of the Gotei 13." seeing my confusion, she added, "The Gotei 13 are the protectors of Soul Society. The Fourth Division is the healing squad."

I nodded slowly, and swallowed a chunk of steak. "I met another captain, didn't I?" it took me a moment to recall the name, but seeing as I didn't have many memories, it surfaced quickly, "Captain... Soifon?"

She nodded. "Captain Soifon is the head of the second division, and the Military Corps. She was tasked with bringing you in." She paused, but I just nodded at her to continue. If she expected me to be angry about getting knocked out, she was going to be disappointed. I had food, and that's what mattered most at the moment.

She coughed delicately. "Ahem. Well, though I certainly don't agree with the... _roughness_ of her methods, all's well that ends well. Due to recent... events," she began explaining, "Soul Society has been taking its security very seriously. We have orders to investigate anyone who has abnormal or significant reiatsu - spiritual energy."

"Reiatsu." I tried out the unfamiliar word. So that was what the weird energy surge was called. "I see."

"However," she continued cheerfully, "The technology division - that's the Twelfth Division - ran some tests and confirmed that there is nothing to be concerned about. When you first appeared in Soul Society, your spiritual power was released and ran wild. However, it seems you've managed to exert some control over it already, which is quite impressive. So, no harm done."

I handed her the empty plate - she gave me a bowl of stew. "Thanks - I guess?" I shrugged. "But all I did was tell him to stop."

Her eyes widened, her cheerful expression momentarily frozen. "Him?" she asked after a beat of silence.

I chewed slower, wondering if I'd made a mistake by saying that. Suddenly I remembered my sword, hidden in the rubble, and felt a wave of dismay. I could have kicked myself, leaving it there.

She saw that I wasn't going to answer. "You heard a voice... from inside?" she guessed.

I nodded, eyes wide. "Is that bad?"

"No, no, of course not," she hastened to assure me, and I felt a wave of relief, "It's just unusual." There was that word again... _unusual._ "Most shinigami take years to communicate with that part of themselves, and only after being issued a zanpakutou."

"Shinigami?" I questioned, scraping the bottom of the stew bowl, "Zanpakutou?"

"The Gotei 13 are made up of shinigami - Soul Reapers, who serve and protect Soul Society and the human world using their spiritual power. They do this with a zanpaktou - a unique blade forged by the materialisation of their souls."

It was a lot to take in. I nodded again. "I think I understand."

"So, tell me, have you attained a zanpakutou yet? Do you know its name?" her gaze was kind, but sharp.

I felt like I could trust her, but decided to play this close to the chest. I didn't know anything about this world, after all. "No," I replied easily, "He wouldn't tell me his name. I don't have a sword." _Not here, anyway_ , I thought sadly.

She nodded. "Well, although it's unusual, it's not without precedent. When souls manifest particularly strongly, often the strength of their reiatsu results in accelerated communion with the source of their power."

It all sounded a little over my head. "So, what happens now?" I asked, putting the spoon down in the stew bowl.

She smiled. "Pudding?" she offered, gesturing at the trolley.

I nodded eagerly and got a thick slice of cake.

"After that... well..." she thought for a moment, "I recommend you join the Gotei 13. Of course, there's lots of training to get through first, and a selection process you must pass, but I think you'll do well."

I frowned, thinking of Soifon's rigid posture, the crisp way the men at her command had spoken to her. It just didn't seem like a comfortable working environment. "I'm not sure I'd be good at following orders," I admitted truthfully, "Or fighting, for that matter." I shoved more cake in my mouth. Perhaps I could get a job in a cake shop instead.

Captain Unohana smiled. "Of course," she said sweetly, "It's your decision."

Perhaps it was for the best that I'd lost my pretty sword.

"Another thing you should know," she said after a moment, "Is that most souls don't have any reiatsu. And because of this, they don't need to eat... So, food outside of the Seireitei - the Court of Pure Souls - is rather expensive."

I stopped chewing.

"Shinigami, on the other hand, get a sizeable allowance for just this very reason."

I swallowed. "Sign me up." I said weakly.

I needed to get my sword back soon, after all.

 **Author's note:**

 **Tongue twister: Soul Society's serious security :P try saying that 5 times fast.**


	3. Chapter 3: Names

**Names**

Captain Unohana left me with the assurance that she'd sort out some paperwork, and then I could be released and go to the Shinigami Academy, where I'd have to pass an entrance test.

She'd also left me with a large and heavy book of names similar to a phone directory, except instead of numbers there was a short description of each entry's noteworthy deeds in Soul Society. Apparently, this was a common way for souls to choose new names upon entering the afterlife.

"Just choose one that sounds right," she'd advised before she left with the trolley, "Try not to over-think it."

It felt strange to choose my own name - it would become my primary identity, after all. It wasn't like naming a dog. Whoever I became in this life, I'd have to hear it every day.

The book was thick, and the words small, so I had no doubt I'd be able to find one, but somehow I didn't like the idea of being named after someone else. I was unusual already, so I should keep to that trend. I would make up my own name. I remembered the voice - my zanpakutou - telling me not to embarrass him, and bit my lip. I put the book aside and searched my brain for inspiration. I'd better come up with something good.

Captain Unohana was back within an hour, bearing clothes and a small bag of essentials.

She took one look at my glowing expression as I sat on the edge of the bed, my bare feet kicking off the side, and smiled. "So, what have you come up with?"

"Mitsomiya Faraendys Redendra," I said confidently.

Her eye twitched. "That's a... _nice_ name." she said, after a moment's hesitation.

"It is, isn't it?" I agreed proudly. "I wasn't sure if it was long enough, but I couldn't think of more."

"It's certainly...er, unique." she coughed somewhat awkwardly. "Have you decided on a nickname? A... _shortened_ version, perhaps?"

I nodded cheerfully. "I guess people can shorten it to Raen."

She appeared to be relieved. "Very well." she laid out the clothes and the bag on the bed, and handed me a sheet of paper and a pen. "Just write down your name here, Raen."

I bounced off the bed at the sound of my new identity, grinning, and signed my full name in all its glory with a flourish on the page.

Once that was done, I got changed into my new clothes (red pants and a white shirt - the Academy's uniform) and picked up the bag. It contained some toiletries, two changes of clothing and underwear, and a snack for later, which Unohana pointed out to me with a knowing wink.

"I'll assign someone to take you to the Acad-" Unohana broke off mid-sentence as I spontaneously flung my arms around her with a warm hug. Her chest was huge.

She froze for a moment, and I realised that it was probably against some rule to touch a Captain in the Gotei 13 so familiarly. I decided I didn't care.

"Thanks for everything," I said, releasing her. "Really."

She blinked, but seemed amused, not angry, by my forwardness. "It was my pleasure. I _do_ hope you find your place here, Raen. If you're ever in trouble, you can come to the Fourth Division for healing or aid."

I nodded, feeling somewhat overcome with emotion. But I didn't have time to indulge in such weakness. I remembered my zanpakutou's warning about being embarrassing, so I kept my goodbye short and tried not to look too tearful.

However, I could not help one last, sad glance at the empty food trolley standing outside my room as we passed it.

I was led out of the building in the company of another shinigami, whose name, I was told, was Yamada Hanatarou.

We chatted a little as he lead me to the Academy, which was located only a short distance from the Fourth Division's barracks and hospital. He seemed like a friendly guy, if a little submissive, and I got many of my questions answered as we walked.

By the time we reached the tall building used as a dormitory for students, I had been briefed on many of the inner workings of Soul Society. Everything was new, and exciting, and I drank in the sights of the imposing white and yellow stone buildings rising high above me. The streets were lined with buildings reminiscent of the style popular in Feudal Japan (although I knew it was so, I had no idea where this information came from, as I had no memory of my previous life). Shinigami were everywhere, but I didn't attract much attention in my academy uniform.

"Should I be wearing this, if I haven't even passed the entrance exam yet?" I asked Hanatarou as we walked.

He flapped a hand at me, "It's fine, it's fine," he assured me, "Your reiatsu tested off the charts. They'll definitely accept you."

I nodded, relieved by his utter belief that this would be so.

"Although," he said with a bemused look that was sweet on his boyish face, "I can't really sense your reiatsu."

"That's good," I said in relief, "Because it was really hard to control at first." I was quite proud of myself that my reiatsu was now behaving, curled up into a tight ball of suppressed energy deep inside. "I can feel it, though," I added, "It's just... sleeping." _He is sleeping_ , I corrected mentally. After Unohana's startled reaction, I'd made the decision to not blab about having conversations with my zanpakutou again.

Hanatarou helped me find my dorm room, and then said his goodbyes. For the first time, I was left alone.

Since it was only early afternoon (of the second day since I'd crash-landed in East Rukongai) the large girl's dormitories were empty. I would be sharing a room with five others, and I was a little intimidated by how military everything looked. All the beds were identical and neatly made up, with personal effects packed away in a single chest at the end of each bed. Between the beds there was a small bedside table on the right and a narrow desk on the left for each student. I assumed the students were still in class.

I felt a little nervous about everything, to be honest, so I calmed my nerves by eating the snacks Unohana left me. After that, I promptly fell asleep sprawled out on my bed.

I didn't wake up to see the other five students arrive back to the dorm.

* * *

"Who is she?"

"How should I know?"

"Don't look at me."

"New student?"

"Oi, you! New student, wake up!"

The five girls exchanged incredulous glances as they stared at the unmoving figure, sprawled in a crash-landing position among discarded snack wrappers. Her mouth hung open, out of which emitted soft snores. She seemed to also be drooling.

The last girl to speak made her voice a little louder. "H-hey!"

There was no response.

Annoyed, she strode forward and grabbed the girl's shoulder, shaking it roughly. "Wake up!"

* * *

I blearily opened my eyes and yawned, awareness slowly returning.

"Oh?"

I looked around in surprise - I was already standing up, in the middle of the dormitory. Then I caught sight of five girls, cowering against the opposite wall and staring at me in various attitudes of shock and terror. One girl was massaging her wrist with a pained expression.

I had no idea what had caused their strange behaviour, but I was also aware of the importance of good first impressions. So I smiled at them in what I hoped was a friendly-looking way.

They flinched and just stared.

I wondered if it was something on my face, so I brought a hand up, and was mortified to find a bit of drool on my chin. I self-consciously wiped it off and fixed my hair by raking my fingers through it. Hopefully looking more presentable, I tried another smile and said warmly. "Sorry you caught me sleeping! My name is Raen. It's nice to meet you!"

"N-nice to meet you!"

"Uh - welcome!"

They all chorused greetings and introduced themselves rather quickly, for some reason, and then a slightly awkward silence descended on the room.

Shrugging it off, I busied myself gathering all the wrappers from my bed and threw them away, and then decided to get some more sleep.

Oddly enough, all the girls vehemently refused when I asked them to wake me up for my entrance exam the next morning, which I felt was a bit rude. Then again, perhaps it was best if I learnt to rely on myself as soon as possible.

My last thought before I fell asleep was a vague anxiety about where I might find breakfast the next morning.


	4. Chapter 4 : Hakuda and Hoho

**Hakuda and Hoho**

* * *

That night I had a dream about a frozen lake.

Once I woke up, I couldn't remember much about the dream, other than the fact that a frozen lake had been involved. As it was my first dream in living memory, I wondered if it was important.

However, I couldn't afford to waste too much time on dream interpretation, as I'd overslept and was on the verge of being late for my entrance exam. The other girls had already departed for their classes, leaving me alone in the room.

I bolted out of bed and groped hurriedly for the pile of clothes on the floor (where I'd dropped them the previous night, within easy reaching distance!) so I could get changed. As I did, something fell out of the pile and clattered loudly onto the wooden floor.

I picked it up with a delighted gasp. It was my zanpakutou, just as I remembered it! I slipped my hand over the molded grip and swung it experimentally - it made a shivering, swishing sound as it sliced through the air which I found singularly satisfying.

Aware that I had lied about having a zanpakutou already, but loath to leave it behind again, I wrapped it up in the shirt I'd worn the day before and stuck it diagonally through the belt at my back. It made a rather suspicious-looking package, but I wasn't the type to fret needlessly about the future. Also, I was already late and I still needed to find the breakfast hall.

Less than half an hour later, I was skidding through the door of the examination hall, still munching on my fifth and last slice of toast in between panting. It looked like a large, mostly empty gymnasium.

"You're late," snapped an old man from behind a long desk that ran parallel to the wall. He was sitting next to a dumpy-looking woman, and next to her was another seat - empty. I doubted it was for me, though.

I hurriedly stuffed the last bit of toast in my mouth and swallowed without chewing.

The fat woman turned her nose up at me, but I imagine she was secretly impressed by ability to pull it off without coughing or losing a crumb. It took quite a lot of skill, after all.

Thus satiated, I sent them both a winning smile, and gave an exaggerated bow. I'd seen many shinigami do it to their superiors, so I copied it as best I could.

"My apologies... I got lost," I admitted. It was true - I'd completely forgotten the instructions Hana-whatsit had given me the day before, so I'd had to ask for directions three times. I was quite proud of myself to have made it at all. Fortunately, the kind Academy students I'd met were quite happy to help me out. They'd all been male, which might have counted in my favour. I'd gotten a proper look at my face for the first time that very morning during my lightning-fast bathroom break, and I was quite pleased with what I looked like. Clear skin and a flawless complexion, pale lashes framing cerulean blue eyes. I wasn't curvy, but no one would mistake me for anything other than one _hot_ lady once they saw me.

The old man didn't seem impressed, though. "Just come in and close the door!" he barked irritably. "We're already behind schedule by an hour."

I hurriedly obeyed, and came to stand before them. As I stood, it struck me as somewhat odd that they'd actually waited a whole hour for someone they'd never met before.

My suspicions were further raised when the old man nodded to the woman. "Inform the others that she's here." he said.

 _Others?_ It seemed that I would be getting special treatment again.

The chubby woman made a curious gesture with her hands, muttering something, and a glowing light formed between them, before changing into a black butterfly. My wide eyes followed it as it fluttered out of a high window.

"Stand up straight, girl," snapped the chubby woman, and my gaze went back to her, "We'll start the exam shortly."

"I have a name," I protested unthinkingly. I was a little hurt that they hadn't used it yet.

The old man swelled in indignation and pointed to a file lying on the desk, "Yes, so I see. What kind of name is that? How can you expect people to even _pronounce_ it, let alone remember it? Do you think this is a joke?"

I pouted at his harsh tone, and scuffed the floor rebelliously. "Just call me Raen, then." some people just couldn't recognize creativity, it seemed.

"Then, _Raen,"_ continued the woman as if there'd been no interruption, "We see by your file that you have the _potential_ to become a guardian in the Gotei 13, but I'm afraid potential is not good enough. We cannot allow you into this Academy, or allow you to use a zanpakutou, until you have passed this exam to our satisfaction."

Suddenly my sword wrapped clumsily in my shirt and tied to my back seemed awfully heavy. They hadn't spotted it yet, however. Perhaps my general scruffy appearance (I wasn't used to the uniform yet) and my bag slung over the hidden sword was enough to keep them from noticing.

Just then, another door, behind the examiner's table, creaked open, and I was blinded for a moment by the bright daylight contrasting with the dim interior of the hall.

When I lowered my hand from instinctively shielding my eyes, I saw that two figures were stepping into the hall, accompanied by the butterfly from earlier.

They were both very tall, and I could feel their reiatsu was on a completely different level, just like Unohana and Soifon. The man bringing up the rear had flaming red hair and weird tattoos, but it was to the first man that all my attention fell.

I couldn't help staring. He was _super_ attractive.

The old man and chubby woman stood, bowing their heads respectfully as he wordlessly passed and seated himself gracefully in the empty chair. "Raen, this is Captain Kuchiki and Vice-Captain Abarai. They will be witnessing your exam." the Vice-Captain leaned nonchalantly against the wall, looking at me curiously.

"It's nice to meet you, Captain Kuchiki," I ventured hopefully.

But his serious gray eyes didn't even deign to look at me, instead throwing a cursory glance at my file.

"It's already late. Let's get on with this." he stated in a calm, deep voice without inflection. I felt myself go a little weak at the knees.

The old man coughed. _"Ahem._ As you say, Kuchiki-sama." he suddenly pulled out what looked like a remote-control, and pressed a button.

I looked around in surprise as a section of the floor slid back, and two mannequins and a small table emerged. The first mannequin was made of some squishy, dark blue material, like a punching-bag, and was vaguely shaped like a man's torso. The second was a plain wood and straw dummy. Last, the round table also rose out of the floor, on which sat what looked like an opaque, crystal ball.

"What now?" I asked the examiners.

The old man was the one to speak again. "At this Academy," he started, "We teach 4 different disciplines. You will need to display at least a basic proficiency in each before we even think of accepting you."

"Okay." I shrugged, eyes wide.

He pointed to the first mannequin, the blue squishy one. "First we will test hakudo and hoho. The art of fighting without a weapon, and agility."

I blinked. "I don't know how to fight."

The old man rolled his eyes. "Just strike the target. Agility at this stage is not an essential skill, however, speed and economy of movement will count in your favour."

I looked at the mannequin with some misgivings, and walked slowly up to it. How to hit it? I made a fist and looked down at my hand, but it didn't feel strong like I remembered from the day I'd arrived. Had my power all been sealed away when the Voice went to sleep?

"We haven't got all day." promptly the old man dryly.

I hit the target.

It barely even moved from my weak punch, which may as well have been a slap.

From the incredulous looks the old man and the chubby woman traded, it had been even more pathetic than I thought.

I gave an embarrassed laugh. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this, after all..."

That cake shop idea was looking more and more attractive.

"Renji."

My attention snapped back to the gorgeous man with the immaculate black hair. But he still hadn't looked at me.

"Captain?" the red-haired man stepped forward.

His captain gave the barest hint of a nod, and this seemed sufficient to communicate with his subordinate, because Renji (I tried to commit his first name to memory) said, "Yes, sir."

Then he strode towards me with a somewhat fierce grin. As he walked, he cracked his knuckles threateningly.

I held up my hands and stumbled backwards, my smile faltering. "H-hey - what - there's no need to-"

"Sometimes," he interrupted me, pulling his fist back, "You need a real target-"

I yelped and ducked his swing at my face.

"- to bring out your own power!"

I ducked again, feeling the air as his hand passed by lift strands of my hair. He wasn't holding back!

"Can't we talk about this?" I begged, stalling for time as I tried to think of what to do. I spun and dodged desperately, as his leg snapped out and narrowly missed my shoulder.

Beyond him, I noticed that Captain Sexyhair was finally watching, his stormy grey eyes following my movements.

It was a bad time to get distracted.

Suddenly, Renji approached too fast, and I didn't have time to dodge. My eyes widened as I saw his clenched fist getting bigger and bigger, filling my vision as it soared towards my face-

 _Thunk._ I blinked in surprise as I realized my face was still intact. Had he stopped before hitting me?

One look at his equally shocked expression told me this was not so.

I looked between us, and suddenly noticed that my hand had stopped his - instinctively rising to protect my face, stopping his strike by catching it.

I suddenly felt the difference - the same power I'd felt one the day of my arrival was once again flowing through me, making me feel like anything was possible. Thankfully, the annoying _buzzing_ hadn't returned, though.

My mouth stretched into a wicked grin as I realized this, and I let loose a slightly evil-sounding chuckle.

Seeing the change in my eyes, Renji tried to pull his arm back, but I tightened my grip, feeling the bones of his hand creaking. He was going _nowhere._

I pulled my other hand back, feeling the strength gather there, and struck out at his face. _See how you like that!_ I crowed to myself triumphantly.

I had to give it to Renji, though, he could move fast. Clearly, he had been holding back earlier, because with only his one free hand, he managed to grab my arm as it flew forward and redirect the blow downwards, leaping away a second later.

I ended up hitting the wooden floor, which to my chagrin instantly splintered, dust and wood chips going everywhere.

I straightened and turned to the examiners, sticking my tongue out sheepishly. "Um... sorry... Ehehehe..." it was a demolished shack all over again.

I inspected my knuckles, but they didn't look any worse for wear. _Huh, Raen one, floor zero._

"You don't hold back, huh?" said Renji, but he looked more impressed than annoyed. He made to walk away, but I stopped him before he left.

"Hey, Renji-" he twitched at the use of his first name, without honorifics, but I ignored it. I wasn't a shinigami yet, anyway. "One quick question?" I kept my voice low so the three seated at the examiner's table couldn't hear me. Our fight had fortunately taken us a short distance from them.

"Er... Sure?"

"Captain Kuchiki... is he in a relationship?"

Renji's mouth gaped like a fish.

"Well?" I prompted.

"Um... no..." he shook his head at the excited spark in my eye, "But it's complicated..."

I shrugged, a wide grin spreading over my face.

"It's really," he insisted, _"Really_ not... You don't have a chance. Never. Don't even try it."

"Is he gay?"

"Wha-? No, no! Definitely not!"

"Then there's no problem."

Renji sent me an exasperated look, but then the examiners caught his eye and he just threw his hands up and walked off.

Meanwhile, I felt my heart sing. He was attractive, powerful, noble to boot, single and not gay.

How complicated could it be?

Captain Sexyhair was _mine._


	5. Chapter 5: Captain Sexyhair

**Captain Sexyhair**

* * *

Kuchiki Byakuya glanced down again at the file open in front of him: a report from the Science and Research Division. It had arrived on his desk early that morning. Among other things, it was a summons, calling him to be the third witness at the entrance exam of a "special case". A special case indeed. It was not customary for seated shinigami (those ranked with a numbered "seat" in the Gotei 13) to be required at a mere entrance exam, never mind a Captain _and_ Vice-Captain. So he'd known beforehand that this soul would be different.

After the whole fiasco with Aizen, and the embarrassment of relying on a Substitute Shinigami to save the day, the Captain-Commander had ordered stricter measures to deal with those powerful enough to one day become a threat. This was the first time, however, to his knowledge, that those stricter measures had actually been enforced.

The report ranked her reiatsu at level XXXXX - of course, quantity didn't guarantee quality. Still, it was _stupidly_ high. He _himself_ was ranked only level XXXX. The level of the other captains weren't common knowledge, but he suspected most were about four X's, the same as him. A high level of reiatsu was somewhat of a requirement in the position. However, there were exceptions. He'd estimate Soifon at around level XXX, although her skill and training made the discrepancy barely noticeable. Kurotsuchi Mayuri was even lower, but that creep had probably found ways to augment his power artificially when needed. To his knowledge, only Zaraki Kenpachi and Unohana Retsu had more than four X's. And the Captain-Commander, of course, but he didn't even want to guess how many X's _he_ had. Ichigo had been five or six X's, for sure.

Considering all this... the woman was either a serious threat to Soul Society... or a valuable asset. Someone with that level of power could be just what they needed. The battle with Aizen had left their ranks sorely depleted, and Hollows were taking advantage of their slow recovery by invading from Hueco Mundo at an increased rate. It was no wonder she'd been rushed through to this special exam, and they'd even forgiven her for being an hour late.

As he'd entered the room, therefore, Byakuya had already been moderately curious about this woman. Using his long years of practice as head of one of the four great noble houses, he'd scrutinised her from head-to-toe in seconds without ever looking directly at her.

She was tall - loose-limbed and slim, standing in a relaxed pose with one hip sticking out - clearly underestimating the seriousness of the situation. Though she was undoubtedly what most would consider attractive, her appearance was scruffy - her elbow-length strawberry-blonde hair chaotically curly, like she'd just rolled out of bed. Her uniform was even tucked in wrong. Her large blue eyes were wide, innocent, soft. Trusting.

 _So, she hasn't been told,_ he realized.

She hadn't been told that if she _failed_ this exam and didn't become a shinigami, she'd be facing the next millennium consigned to a detention facility for the insanely overpowered. She would hardly have that vacant, cheerful look in her big eyes if she knew how high the stakes were.

"It's nice to meet you, Captain Kuchiki," she said eagerly, "I'm Raen." She seemed to be trying to catch his eye.

 _How impertinent_. She didn't seem intimidated by him at all.

He ignored her, hiding his amusement beneath his own blank mask as her face fell in disappointment. Even when using peripheral vision, he could tell that her open face betrayed her every emotion.

Then, when it seemed like she might fail at the very first hurdle, he instructed Renji to fight the woman; an attempt to get her to take it seriously.

The ploy worked better than expected.

She had proven herself in this first test; although Renji hadn't attacked her seriously, it was still surprising that she'd managed to evade _every_ attack (moving with undeniable grace, he had to admit). And then she'd caught his fist, nullifying the blow with seemingly no effort at all. He could feel her reiatsu releasing, just enough to do some serious damage to his Vice-Captain, who had the foresight to avoid her counter-attack. Not to mention the sizable trench she'd left in the wooden floor.

He looked at her smug grin and was surprised to see actual savage joy there - just for a moment as she attacked, before her placidly cheerful expression reasserted itself. Even though she'd stated a reluctance to fight, it seemed reality was a little different.

 _There's more to her than meets the eye_.

A short while ago, he would have written her off based on his first impression. But ever since he'd met a certain orange-haired idiot, he'd learnt that some things, though unlikely, were _not_ impossible. If that boy could achieve Bankai after three days of training with a cat, after all, anything was possible.

* * *

I noticed Captain Sexyhair looking at me, and I suddenly felt a little warm.

The other examiners were also staring, so I sent them a sheepish smile. I hoped they wouldn't ask me to pay for the damage to the floor.

The old man was nudged by the chubby woman, and he closed his mouth hurriedly.

"Right, yes." he marked something down on my report with a constipated expression, and then returned his gaze to me. "Let's move on."

Renji had resumed his position behind his Captain, but I didn't miss it when he gave me subtle thumbs-up.

Cheered by this, I bounced over to the next mannequin, examining it from all angles. But it was just a plain straw doll. "What's next, huh? What's next? Bring it on!"

A vein started twitching in the old man's forehead. "Zanjutsu," he bit out. "Now, be silent, and come here."

I bounced over to the examiner's table, relishing the opportunity to ogle my new crush from a closer position. He'd taken to sitting with his eyes closed, his arms folded.

 _Are you that self-conscious in my awesome presence, Captain Sexyhair?_ I exclaimed internally, _There's no need to be shy-_

"Pay attention!" barked the old man. The chubby woman brought a long, flat black box out from under the table.

I stared at it inquisitively.

"This," he explained, "Is a zanpakutou without a master. It has never been touched before. When you touch it, it will resonate with your soul if you are worthy, and become attuned to you." he sniffed. "If you keep it after today, however, remains to be seen."

I wondered if now was a good time to tell them about the sword I already owned.

 _Nah,_ I decided. _I want to see what happens._

"Can I open the box?"

The woman nodded. "Please do."

I grabbed the box and backed away from the table for a short distance, then dropped into a cross-legged position with the box across my knees. If the examiners were surprised by my unorthodox behaviour, they didn't say anything.

I licked my lips, and slowly opened the lid. Inside, was a plain katana in a black sheath. I looked sceptically at it. The shape didn't seem particularly easy to wield - not like my sword (which dug into my shoulderblades as if jealous of the attention I was giving to its ugly cousin). This zanpakutou looked the same as the ones I'd seen most shinigami carry. But Unohana had told me the form differed from individual to individual. Soifon's, I suddenly remembered, had been very short - almost half the length of this one.

I hesitated only a moment - and then grasped the hilt with my left hand.

With a loud hissing sound, fog filled the room as I felt my sleeping reiatsu react, swirling around me like a cyclone. A portion of it was flowing into the sword - which was suddenly a sword no longer.

It was a badass-looking dagger. Not just any dagger, I suddenly knew from out of nowhere, a "sai". ( **AN: google images "sai dagger" fyi** ).

And yet, it was still just a dagger, no matter how badass. Unexpectedly, I had another split-second choice to make, as the white mist that had enveloped me for a second time in as many days would clear soon.

So, when the smoke cleared, I was left holding my sword up for the examiners to see in all its basket-hilted glory, while my little badass dagger was carefully (it was rather sharp) hidden under my shirt, invisible in the ill-fitting clothes. My lack of boobs allowed plenty of room for hidden weapons.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Why does she keep trying to hide weapons?**

 **It's possible that on some level she's sensing the danger she's in... I'm trying to write her character as one who's smarter than she gives herself credit for. She gives off a vibe of just going with the flow, but is that really who she is...?**

 **Next chapter's title: Temper**


	6. Chapter 6: Temper

**Temper**

* * *

Byakuya narrowed his eyes at the cross-legged figure as the smoke cleared. At first, he felt disbelief, echoed by the gasps of the two examiners beside him, and Renji's dumb-founded, "Im- impossible!"

Now, she'd already achieved the released form of her sword... just by touching it.

To his credit, the old examiner didn't wallow in disbelief for long, though Byakuya spied a small bead of sweat break out on his forehead.

"Hit the target," he ordered, steepling his fingers under his chin in an impressively bored tone.

They all watched as the girl bounced eagerly to her feet, swinging the sword through the air experimentally. She was right-handed, and the thin sword looked delicate, like it might snap if hit directly.

But Byakuya reminded himself that... much like the woman... appearances could be deceiving.

* * *

I approached the target, eyeing the straw-filled second dummy with a small amount of trepidation.

Yes, I was eager to hit something, but I understood my strength a little better now after my fight with Renji. I really had to _mean_ it - to want it, before I could land a proper hit. Or else I risked another disaster like my first pathetic punch at the mannequin. Also, I didn't want Renji to come out again and hit me with his sword - I had a feeling I _really_ wasn't ready for that just yet.

I hesitated. The target wasn't a threat - it was merely a piece of wood. But hitting it while I was in that mindset was wrong - my sword wasn't just a piece of metal. It was a weapon, a weapon for killing.

Specifically, my sword was a _rapier._ It had a cutting edge, but it's true power lay in the thrust. I knew that much from just holding it. Swiping at the target carelessly would barely leave a scratch.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.

 _Why do I want to hit the dummy?_

\- To pass the test.

 _Why do I need to pass the test?_

\- To become a shinigami.

 _Why do I want to become a shinigami?_

\- So that I can afford to eat.

There was a steely glint in my eyes as I opened them again, and the pressure in the air seemed to change. Without questioning it, I sank into what felt like the _right_ stance - one foot angled forward, the other to the side and away, my left arm back, my right, sword-wielding arm poised to strike. Power gathered somewhere in the pit of my stomach, then flowed through me, to my sword-wielding arm, like an unstoppable tidal wave.

 _This straw-filled wooden bastard is the only thing standing between me and starvation!_ _You're going down!_

I raised my sword - its narrow edge gleamed as if crying out for blood.

 _Shhhhiiiick!_

My sword plunged into the mannequin, directly through its "heart", like a knife through butter. No explosions this time, but I barely felt more resistance than air as I struck, and this told me the attack was deadly indeed.

I withdrew it with a flourish, and was rewarded with a satisfying gush of straw and sawdust spraying out of the damaged torso. I closed my eyes in a brief moment of silence, honouring the fallen, and flicked the sword to the side before turning away, imagining ruby-red droplets, not straw fragments, falling to pepper the ground at my feet. Somewhere far away, I imagined violins were wailing.

"A good fight." I murmured solemnly, opening my eyes and turning to the examiners.

The chubby woman coughed meaningfully, looking unimpressed by my display. But she hadn't felt the power I did. _"Ahem._ Let's move on." Despite her unimpressed reaction, I didn't think I failed this one, at least.

I shrugged and stuck my sword through my belt. I'd have to ask the Voice about getting me a sheath.

The chubby woman levered herself out of her chair with a grunt and waddled closer, beckoning me to follow her to the small table and the crystal ball.

"Put your hands on it," she ordered, and I acquiesced.

Instantly, I felt pins-and-needles shoot up my arms unpleasantly, making me flinch, as a red glow appeared in the centre of the previously dark orb.

The woman noted something down on a clipboard, and said absently. "Hold your hands there as long as you can."

I shifted in place uncomfortably as the seconds ticked by, gritting my teeth as discomfort turned into pain.

After only about a minute, I had to let go, and rubbed my hands together briskly as the angry prickling sensation slowly faded.

I noticed small cracks had appeared on the surface of the glass, as well, and when the woman saw them her eyebrows flew up and she hurriedly scribbled something on her clipboard.

"It seems you don't have much of a talent for kido," she informed me as her pen flew back and forth across the paper.

Seeing as I had no idea what that meant, I just shrugged.

"Is that it?" I asked hopefully, as the woman finished scribbling and returned to her seat. "Did I pass?"

"There is still one part to this exam left," said the old man sternly, "And it's by _far_ the most important."

I sighed, but came to stand before them again.

Figuring I'd better give the last part a good effort, I tried to stand a little straighter, and school my expression into solemnity. The crystal ball test had sapped my enthusiasm, and I was feeling hungry and crotchety.

They were all looking at me now, even Kuchiki and his beautiful grey eyes. I wondered what his given name was.

"We'll ask you a question," stated the old man, "And you must answer truthfully. Based on your response, we'll decide if you have a future as a shinigami in this Academy... or not." he made the "or not" sound extremely unattractive.

I nodded.

"It's very simple. What is your reason for becoming a Shinigami?"

I hesitated, but only for a moment. He told me to be truthful, so...

"Cake." I blurted out. They all stared at me as if I was mad. "Cake," I repeated, holding my ground. "Captain Unohana explained that if I became a shinigami, I would be able to afford food in Seireitei, because it's really expensive everywhere else."

The old man went blotchy with annoyance. _"Cake?!_ Are you taking us for fools?"

I sighed. "Let me explain-"

"No, I think you've said enough." snapped the old man. "You've not taken this exam seriously for a moment since you arrived!"

"That's not true!" I protested, frowning. I had taken every part really seriously. Hadn't they seen that? I'd even endured pain gripping that stupid ball for more than a minute.

The chubby woman leant over and muttered something in his ear, and he snorted contemptuously. "Ridiculous." I watched him write something on his clipboard with irritated slashes of his pen, and knew that he was failing me. I glanced at Kuchiki, but he was ignoring me again.

The situation was rapidly getting beyond my control - I had to say something, but they no longer seemed willing to listen.

For the first time since I'd landed up in Soul Society, I felt a spark of real annoyance, which suddenly ignited into a flare of hot anger.

"Hey, look, mister," I snapped, striding forwards. The old man gaped at my change in tone.

"How dare-"

I slammed my hands down on the table surface in front of him and ignored the ominous splintering sound the table gave. He took one look at my expression and paled - I wondered if I really looked that scary.

Nevertheless, it gave me a chance to say my piece.

"I woke up with no idea who I was two days ago!" I snapped, "Next thing I know, Soifon's smacked me upside the head. When I wake up, I find out that Twelfth Division's done who-knows-what kind of tests on me, and I'm told to enrol at some military academy."

I stepped back from the desk and folded my arms, settling instead for fixing the examiners with my own icy stare. "I don't even know what shinigamis _do."_ I gave a humorless laugh. "So yeah, food ranks pretty high on the list of what's important to me right now. Go right ahead and judge me, y'miserable old geezer!" I shot a glare at the chubby woman too, to let her know she was also on my bad side. Captain Sexyhair was spared, since he hadn't actually said anything mean to me yet.

There was a ringing silence after my outburst, broken only by the old man's disbelieving spluttering, and my stomach, which gave an embarrassing growl. I was about three seconds away from stalking out of the hall in search of comfort food and leaving these cretins to their own devices.

To my surprise, it was Captain Sexyhair who replied, in a measured, mild tone, "Didn't Captain Unohana explain about the Gotei 13?"

 _My lunch plans can wait a little longer._ I shrugged moodily. "She said shinigamis serve and protect Soul Society and the human world. It's a bit vague. Protect from what, exactly?"

He gave an almost inaudible sigh. "I can't believe you came to this exam without knowing. There are things in this world we call Hollows," he began explaining in a bored tone that nevertheless made my toes tingle, "They are corrupted souls, taking on monstrous forms and seeking to devour ordinary souls. Sometimes, they invade Soul Society or the Human World, and it is our duty to stop them. By killing Hollows with a zanpakutou, one can cleanse the Hollow. Its reishi - the substance that makes up its soul- returns to Soul Society. This ensures the balance is maintained in all three worlds."

I thought about it all carefully. _Killing monsters doesn't seem too bad_.

"In addition," he continued, and there was extra weight behind his words now, "Shinigamis are the first line of defence against _any_ who are considered a threat to the peace of Soul Society. So it is likely you will find yourself coming up against other people... from time to time."

Understanding suddenly hit me like a lightning bolt as I took his veiled meaning. They were considering _me_ a threat!

Suddenly the strange way I'd been treated since I'd arrived started making sense. (Soifon attacking me, conscription into the Gotei 13 under strong "advisement" from Unohana...)

Hey, didn't that mean Captain Sexyhair wasn't so cold, after all? He'd tried to warn me. Or was it a threat?

I scrutinised him carefully - he narrowed his eyes coldly at my directness. Perhaps it was a warning _and_ a threat.

"Um, well, thanks for explaining that." I said awkwardly, and wracked my brains for something to say. In the end, I settled again for the truth. "I don't know if I'd make a good shinigami." I admitted. "As I said, the most important thing to me right now is food." I scratched my head sheepishly. "But, Captain Unohana explained that powerful souls feel hungry more often, so I guess... I have more power than most?"

Renji gave an odd snorting sound from his position against the wall at the uncertainty in my voice.

"If that's so," I continued, ignoring him, "Then I want to help protect this place. And I'm interested in learning more about who I am." I rested my hand on the hilt of my new sword. "If it means fighting, I want to learn how."

The old man opened his mouth to say something snide - still annoyed by my outburst earlier, it seemed, but once again Captain Sexyhair had something to say.

"Very well," he said in a rather formal way.

My heart leapt in joy - perhaps they would let me pass after all?

"And what is your goal?"

 _Say what?_ I blinked.

If he was any less dignified, I had a suspicion he would have rolled his eyes. "What do you hope to accomplish in the Gotei 13?" he clarified.

"Oh! Um..." _Going on a date with you?_ I figured it was a little early for that. What then? A goal was hard to think of, since I hadn't actually seen much of the different divisions. Almost all of my (very different) experiences were with the captains, it seemed. Except for Renji and Hana-what's-his-name.

Soifon was badass, Unohana was awesome, Kuchiki was smokin' hot..."I guess I wouldn't mind becoming a captain," I said sheepishly, mostly for lack of a better idea.

I thought they would laugh or something, but the old man only gave out a massive, displeased sigh, and scribbled something on his page.

He glanced down the table at Captain Kuchiki, who caught his eye and they seemed to communicate in silence for a micro-second, before the old man dragged his gaze reluctantly to me. "Welcome into the Spiritual Arts Academy," he said grudgingly. "You can start attending classes tomorrow, I'll have someone send over the necessary coursework."

"Really?" I gushed, eyes shining. _Did you hear that_? I addressed my sword excitedly. The voice didn't speak up, but I fancied that somewhere far away, he was listening.

The examiners got up while giving me the evil eye, and left the room after short bows to Captain Sexyhair. I wondered if they would have allowed me to pass the exam had he not been here as I hurriedly approached.

"Captain Se- uh," _That was close!_ "... Ahem, Captain _Kuchiki._ A moment?"

He was taller than me by a head - and I wasn't exactly short. His grey eyes rested on me, and seemed a lot more expressive up close. He was the type to keep his face inscrutable, but I fancied I saw a spark of curiosity in those stormy irises.

"Make it quick." he deadpanned.

 _God, you're attractive._ "The other examiners left without telling me anything," I complained, pouting. I remembered what I'd seen in my reflection that morning. Knowing I wasn't a complete troll gave me the confidence to speak to him directly. "How long does it take to graduate?"

"There are others you can speak to about the minutiae of the Academy," he replied bluntly.

 _I don't wanna._.. I bit my lip. Was it just me, or did his eyes flicker from my eyes to my mouth and back? I shrugged. "I'm not that patient," I stated (after my outburst with the examiner I'd discovered this new fact about myself), "I want to be a shinigami as soon as possible."

"I see." this seemed to make him pause before dismissing me, at least. "If that is true, you _may_ graduate sooner than others. Your strength is on a different level from theirs, already. All you need to do is learn control... and discipline."

"Some graduate after just one year," added Renji in a friendly way from beside his captain. "They're pretty much geniuses though."

"Well, I'll give it my best shot." I said decisively.

"Did you mean it when you said you wanted to be a captain?" Renji asked curiously.

Although Kuchiki had turned away slightly, as if the conversation bored him, I noticed he'd kept one eye on me.

"Yup."

Renji laughed. "Listen," he said, "Only the best shinigami can become captains. Your reiatsu might be impressive, but that's not all it takes."

"Vice-Captain Abarai Renji," I said with a wicked grin, remembering the way he'd blanched as I almost hit him in the face, "I'll take that as a challenge."

"If that's all..." Captain Kuchiki said drily, turning to leave.

"One more thing," I said quickly, "Um... is it... _Possible..._ to have more than one zanpakutou?"

I had his full attention once again.

Renji was the one to answer, though. "Yes, though rare. Why?"

 _Thank goodness_. "I was just curious." I said blandly.

Captain Sexyhair glanced down at my chest as if he could see the dagger hidden there. Or was he just checking out my chest?

"Renji," I added, "I will become a Captain. And on the day that I do..." I grinned and inclined my head at Kuchiki. "I'm going to ask your captain out on a date." I tipped him a flirtatious wink as I said it, and was rewarded by a slight widening of those cold grey eyes, as Renji spluttered in shock beside him.

I beat a hasty retreat out of the other door, filled nonetheless with fresh determination to achieve my goals.

 _I'm going to become a captain, and I'm going to get into Captain Sexyhair's pants. Even if it kills me._


	7. Chapter 7: First weeks

**First weeks**

* * *

Raen's first week at the Shinigami Academy didn't go as swimmingly as she'd hoped it would.

Firstly, the time she was expected to get up in the morning was downright unacceptable; who in their right minds would want to do anything at eight in the morning?! She was horrendously late three days in a row, missing the first lesson entirely each time, before the instructor had a message sent to her that if she missed another class she'd be expelled.

So, on the fourth day, she forced herself out of bed and actually _missed breakfast_ just to get to the damned class on time. The result was that she was in an absolutely _foul_ mood. Her spirit energy seemed agitated, reflecting her emotions, and she developed a raging headache from holding back with sheer willpower alone. It was so bad that she _almost_ completely lost it when the instructor unwisely marched over first thing, intending to give her a piece of her mind for the absent three days.

* * *

I looked up balefully as this skinny woman swanned up to me, arms folded and lips pursed. _Like an anorexic pug_ , I thought viciously.

"You must be the new student," she drawled, "It's _nice_ to finally meet you."

I was not impressed by the sarcasm that dripped off her tongue, nor the fact that, once again, I'd met someone who refused to use my name.

So, utterly unable to say anything polite, I opted for what I hoped was a neutral grunt.

"Mn."

Her smirk slowly slipped off her face as I gazed flatly at her, and a look of uncertainty took its place.

My headache worsened.

"S-so," she went on bravely, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Hah?!"

 _Are you friggin' **kidding** me? Do you know how hard it was just to come to this stupid class?_

She paled.

I couldn't help it. A _tiny_ bit of killing intent _may_ have bled into my reiatsu at this point, and two students sitting nearby actually blacked out before I reigned it in. Everyone else seemed to have a hard time breathing, too, so, as dignified as I could, I excused myself from the room before I made things worse. The instructor got out of my way too, sweating bullets.

I decided to find some coffee before I committed murder.

It was the last time I was asked to come in for the early class, and somehow I was never expelled for missing it.

* * *

My other classes only started after ten in the morning, and so they went much better. In my usual cheerful mood, I breezed through the lessons on swordsmanship, hand-to-hand and agility, relishing the physical challenge. After just two weeks, I was bumped up to the advanced classes, with the "special students". They were a ragtag bunch from the upper years, who happened to have more spiritual energy than most, or at the very least superior control.

I heard that the advanced class students were all expected to graduate straight into seated positions in the Gotei 13, but in general I kept myself as inconspicuous as possible, my performance average within the special class. Only I (and I suspect, the instructors who had access to my files) knew that I outclassed them all quite drastically in terms of power. I lacked experience and knowledge, though, so I had no way of knowing how I would fare against them in a fight.

The theoretical classes I joined with my fellow first-years, and I found it challenging, but surprisingly interesting. My favorite past-time became vegging-out in the library after classes until late, reading up on whatever struck my fancy and inventing new ways to smuggle snacks into the no-eating zone.

And it was a relief to find an activity that I could do alone, because for some or other reason the other students in general avoided me. I could understand the two students who'd blacked out in the early class might feel awkward talking to me, but was it really necessary for the others to scuttle across the hall to avoid me? And the hushed whispers behind cupped hands were too obvious to be ignored.

It seemed that I was "that girl", and I found no friends in my dormitory or in class. I tried a couple of times to make friendly overtures, but this seemed to make them treat me with even more suspicion and incredulity, so I stopped. It was a difficult situation, since I had entered the year almost half-way through the first term. My classmates had already made their cliques and were sticking to them.

It was surprising how much it hurt, actually, being treated with such suspicion, since I was actually at heart a very social person.

Nevertheless, I persevered with my quiet existence, slowly mastering the skills I would need to become a useful shinigami. And at the very least I could remind myself that I was not alone, not really. Because although he never answered my tentative calls, I could sense my zanpakuto observing from a distance, aloof. I often tried to communicate, spending hours in the evenings in a meditative state (which was described in many textbooks I read) asking for his name. But I had no real hope that he'd respond; after all, I'd done nothing worth earning his name yet. Indeed, almost no one knew _my_ name... a problem that bugged me more than I would've liked to admit.

On weekends I started taking long walks exploring Seireitei's labyrinthine alleys and roads, noting the locations of important buildings such as the squad barracks, and trying out a different noodle stand each time. It only took me two weekends to locate Captain Sexyhair's barracks, Squad six. I even managed to find his home, a massive noble's estate not far from the barracks, by stalking him one afternoon, at a discreet distance. At least, I thought I was being discreet... but then Renji flash-stepped and materialised right behind me.

He threatened to have me locked up if I continued such creepy behaviour.

I resolved to learn how to mask my presence better.

* * *

Unohana observed the young woman thoughtfully over her teacup, pinky finger gently raised.

Raen was chatting cheerfully enough, but she detected a hint of melancholic loneliness in her voice when she spoke of her classes.

Her brownish-blonde hair fell in soft curls, framing a face of high cheekbones and large, dreamy blue eyes. She was tall, attractive and obviously powerful. No wonder her fellow students were intimidated by her.

"You've made no friends at all?"

Raen tried and failed to look nonchalant. "Ah, well... it's only been three weeks. I expect they just need a little more time to get used to me..." She poked at her cake with her fork. The fact that she was no longer shoveling it down was a testament to how much it bothered her.

"But, you know," Raen said suddenly, and Unohana could see she was trying her very best to sound perky, "I thought the girl who sleeps across from me was going to smile at me this morning." her eyes lit up. "Really, she almost did! I swear her lips actually _twitched_ at me. So I'm... I'm not _too_ bothered..." The way her voice trailed off made it sound like a question.

Unohana hid a smile. She really was too easy to read.

She reached over and patted her hand genially. "Don't worry too much about it," she said serenely. "I was highly unpopular when I was young, actually."

Raen's blue eyes bugged out. "What? I don't believe it... You're so... so..."

"Hm?"

 _"Warm."_

Unohana chuckled. "A long time ago, I was anything but. I loved fighting more than healing... more than anything, or anyone." She smiled at the reminiscence.

Raen's eyes were wide as she hung onto every word.

"And, I was so fearsome," she chuckled again, "Towns would empty three days before I arrived, just to avoid me."

"No way," Raen said in a hushed voice.

Unohana nodded. "People fear what they don't understand, and what they can't control. You will find a way to connect to them, in time. Until then, you should diligently continue just being yourself. That way, when you find a friend, you'll know you can trust them."

"Is that why people ran away from you?" Raen asked inquisitively, "Because they didn't understand?"

Unohana coughed. "Ahem. Well, no... It probably had something to do with the trail of bodies I'd leave in my wake." She smiled at Raen's dumbfounded expression. "Ah, the foolish bloodstained years. It seems so long ago, now..."

"Wow. Well... Do you... miss the fighting?"

Unohana suddenly looked a little more serious. "I don't miss the killing. It was a darker side of myself that I happily replaced with more valuable things. But, the joy of battle... I don't think one can get rid of _that_ desire so easily."

Unohana watched Raen as she mulled over everything that had been said. From what she'd heard of Raen's entrance exam, and the fact that she'd been placed in the advanced combat classes already, it seemed she had some raw talent when it came to fighting.

Was it more than just talent? Many shinigamis like Kurosaki Ichigo, or Hitsugaya Toshiro, for example, were powerful enough to be considered 'geniuses'. Was she like them?

 _Or does a thirst for blood lurk beneath those soft, big blue eyes?_

 _Like me... and Kenpachi._

"Ah, that reminds me," Unohana said suddenly.

"Hm?" Raen blinked, interrupted from her thoughts.

Unohana sighed. "I don't mean to add to your burdens, but I feel responsible for warning you..."

"About what?"

"It seems that a troublesome man has learned of your name."

"A... troublesome man?"

"Indeed."

After Raen's exam, Abarai Renji had told Kuchiki Rukia about her impressive fighting prowess. It wasn't surprising; they were friends, after all. But then Rukia had casually mentioned it to Kotetsu Kiyone during a visit to the Thirteenth Division, and then Kiyone had gossiped about it at the last Shinigami Women's Association meeting. Which resulted, predictably, in Yachiru practically flying through the roof with excitement, screaming something about finally finding someone new for "Ken-chan" to play with.

"How should I say this...?" Unohana put down her teacup and folded her arms. "Perhaps straight-forward is best."

"Okay?"

"It's highly likely," she said calmly, "That some time during the next few days... the captain of the Eleventh Division will try to kill you."

Raen choked, spraying cake crumbs everywhere.

 _"What?!"_

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Much like Raen, I often find it impossible to talk except in grunts before at least 9 o' clock in the mornings.**


	8. Chapter 8: Training Montage

**Training montage**

* * *

I left the Fourth Division barracks soon after Unohana's startling revelation.

I walked quickly, and even cast a few suspicious glances over my shoulder as I hurried, but fortunately no bloodthirsty Captains were stalking me. Yet.

Sure, I was strong. Sure, I wanted to test myself in combat. But against a Captain? Everything I'd heard, and everything I'd read in the last few weeks told me that Captains were on a different level entirely. I'd made the wager to become a captain with Renji without knowing anything about them, and while I was still committed to my goal, I had no illusions that it would be easy or quick anymore.

Particularly if I was killed by psycho-Captain in my very first month of life in Soul Society.

Even though it was almost five o' clock on a Sunday, I made a beeline for the great Shinigami Academy library, and made my way to the sections reserved for physical training manuals. There was hundreds of methods for training every type of weapon user imaginable, and I started out with the intention to find something to do with one-handed, rapier-type swords. But then I got side-tracked, my attention drawn to a smaller shelf simply labelled, enticingly, "Survival".

It was exactly what I needed.

But a theoretical background was only useful up to an extent.

"Excuse me," I approached the librarian politely, carrying basically the entire "survival" section balanced on one arm. It was taller than my head. One plus of having stupid amounts of reiatsu was lifting heavy shit easily.

She eyed the pile with some misgivings. "Yes?"

"Umm... Is there a training ground near the library?"

"No... Well," she corrected, "Yes, but the nearest one has to be specially reserved. It's usually kept for the advanced classes."

"Oh, that's okay," I said in relief, "I'm in an advanced class already."

She blinked. "Aren't you a new student?"

"Yes." I wondered if she wasn't a bit slow. It would also explain the general disorganized state of the library. _"And_ I'm in the advanced class." I raised my eyebrows. "So... Do I need to sign something?"

She pointed at my stack. "Choose six, and leave the rest," she ordered.

I scowled, but acquiesced, picking out the best volumes.

"There's a gatehouse at the entrance to the grounds. If they aren't occupied, you can sign in there and train as long as you wish."

* * *

True to her word, the advanced class training grounds were not far at all. Unfortunately they _were_ occupied, but the gatekeeper assured me the session booked would end soon, so I sat down on a bench next to the imposing gates and waited, humming a tune under my breath.

As the sky faded from twilight grey to the dark of night, a group of about eightstudents exited the grounds, casting glances at me curiously. I recognized a couple of them from my advanced zanjutsu class, but they ignored my friendly wave. I felt a pang of longing to have trained with them; I knew the only true way of gaining experience in swordsmanship was through actual combat. But for now, at least, the special training I had chosen did not require partners.

Undeterred by their cold glances, I signed in my single name (the full version) on a line under the various large groups who'd trained before me. From the skeptical look the gatekeeper gave me, it was rare for one person to book the entire large field. But I had no choice. Drastic times called for drastic measures.

I'd come prepared. Many of my "survival" books were tailored specifically for harsh one-person training regimens. Some exercises advised a more experienced person to supervise, but I figured I'd just improvise around that.

Walking out into the dark training field, I looked curiously around. It was about the size of a school soccer field, roughly rectangular in shape, with a thick band of tall trees ringing the perimeter. Seeing as it was a "special" training grounds, I assumed it was to provide anonymity even in the center of Seireitei. After all, a large part of a shinigami's success was based off of surprising an opponent with your unique abilities. The more secret they were, the better.

The moon was bright, and my eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness. Along one side of the field was a long row of unevenly-spaced cut logs, some barely a foot high, others taller than my head. The tall ones were also used as practice for hand-to-hand combat, as I could discern some targets for palm and heel strikes painted on the smooth wood.

As I walked closer to inspect them, a plan began to take shape in my mind...

* * *

Sunday night had seen me mostly planning and coming up with some strategies for what to do in an ambush, so I could train accordingly. A fight against a Captain was not one I could win, and so I didn't bother training drills of blocking or striking with my sword.

Monday dawned and I was in a cheerful mood when I went to class, happy with my plan to devote the afternoons of the next week to some useful training.

But then, just before lunch, I was sitting in a Kido theory class that I was barely listening to, when suddenly the double doors of the classroom flew open, bouncing off the walls with a heavy _crash._

The instructor interrupted her own monologue with a high-pitched shriek as a man skidded in with a drawn sword in hand.

"MITSOMIYA FARAENDYS REDENDRA!" Roared the massive dude. He had crazy hair that jingled with small bells. On his shoulder swung a giggling pink-haired girl. "LET'S FIGHT!" He scanned the room eagerly, his spiritual pressure a tangible weight on the air.

No one answered - they couldn't breathe from all the killing intent that was pouring out of him - but somehow after a moment my own reiatsu seemed to rise in response and I could move.

"Thanks for remembering my name!" I called back, (feeling oddly touched that he'd taken the time to actually learn it) as I grabbed my books and shoved them into my bag.

"It's you, eh?!" He grinned, showing a large array of teeth. "You're not effected by this much reiatsu? That's fucking _fantastic!"_ He gave a wild laugh, which broke off abruptly as he caught sight of what I was doing. "Ahahahaa-? Oi!"

"My apologies, Zaraki Kenpachi," I called over my shoulder as I balanced on the window sill, tensed to jump. "I need a little more time!"

"Oi, get back in her-!"

The rest of his words were drowned out by the rush of wind as I dropped.

We were on the fourth floor.

I left a sizable dent in the tiles below, and beat a hasty retreat.

* * *

After that encounter, the danger I was in hit me quite hard, and I spent every waking moment of the next three days training or thinking about training. During my breaks I consumed insane amounts of food, and barely slept the rest of the time. I found that while I had a problem with waking up, it could be solved if I simply never went to sleep. By running on adrenaline, sugar and coffee, I could remain reasonably focused. Every time I felt myself flagging, I could just reach inside myself and draw forth more reiatsu, until it filled me to the brim again with buzzing energy. And each time I felt like I was getting a little closer to the source of my power. The Voice didn't speak, but sometimes I thought I heard him, distantly, a murmur.

My training was... creative.

According to a very _interesting_ treatise by a little-known, low-ranking shinigami instructor, it was healthy to approach each fight with the intention to win, but also to acknowledge the very _real_ possibility that you're catastrophically out-classed... in all ways.

(Some of his advice had a slightly bitter tone to it, and I wondered if he hadn't endured many "catastrophic" losses before he wrote the book.)

In which case, he advised, your only chance is to keep four principles in mind.

One, _Awareness._ Good observation will not only prevent ambushes and "one-shot kills", but also help you find the strong and weak points of your opponent. Every opponent has at least one major weakness, if you have the wit to find it.

Two, _Evasion._ The easiest way to ensure survival is simply to not be hit... pretty straight-forward.

Three, _Prediction._ Knowledge of your opponent is essential, for obvious reasons. But even if you know nothing about them, you could still form some kind of strategy based off of how they act, or even their expectations of you. For example, an over-confident enemy can be expected to attack recklessly, providing an opportunity for you to counter.

And the last principle, _Determination._ The hardest part about fighting an unfair fight, the author warned, is not giving in to despair or an overwhelming sense of impending doom. Because, he wrote bracingly, in an unfair fight, to survive is to win.

I wasn't sure at this point to feel reassured or start hyper-ventilating.

With these tenets in mind I learnt to sense reiatsu and suppress my own (Awareness), always on the look out for Kenpachi. Thankfully he never figured out where the training grounds were. Also, his reiatsu was so massive it was like a sun, burning all others around him into insignificance. Avoiding him while getting food was easy. Suppressing my own power was harder, but most of the time it behaved. Indeed, my largest problem was drawing it out.

So after spending some time in a meditative state controlling my spiritual energy, I could move onto Evasion. And that's where things got tricky.

I started by reading up all the theory on flash steps - something most students in my agility classes had already mastered. It was a bit like riding a bike; it became second nature once you were used to it, but learning was awkward and slow. The most important thing was to build up momentum and keep it going, and this required a steady stream of reiatsu to be pumped to my legs and feet. Too much and I'd lose control, too little and I wouldn't go anywhere. Once I'd managed two meters on flat ground, I graduated to the tall logs, starting on one and trying to step across them from one end of the field to the other, using each log as a stepping stone. The amount of times I fell was depressing, but by the end of Monday night I did feel like I'd made progress.

It was on Tuesday that shit got _serious._

Following the instructions in one of my books, I went to the academy storerooms and requested a very specific type of training mannequin.

I was informed that they'd been discontinued, due to their unstable nature, but I kept arguing until an irate clerk called someone at the Science and Technology Division to check if they had any alternative products.

He returned from the back office with a "I-should-have-seen-this-coming" expression, and handed over some papers to me. "You can take them," he explained reluctantly, "On the condition that you fill out and return this questionnaire about anything... _unexpected_ that occurs when you use them." He pointed to a paragraph on the page, " _Including, but not limited to, explosions, conflagrations, spontaneous combustion, loss of limbs, organ damage, organ failure, burns, abrasions_... Are you _sure_ you still want them?"

I shrugged and accepted the form. The more dangerous the better; it _was_ survival training.

And so late Tuesday morning saw me dragging a large net behind me with a determined expression. Inside were six, vaguely-humanoid-shaped, white mannequins made of a special reiatsu-absorbing material. It had been developed by the Science and Technology Division some years ago to help shinigamis train. After all, a normal straw mannequin wouldn't last very long.

According to the instructions, it would absorb the energy of your attack and reflect a portion of it back, so that the harder you hit, the harder you would be hit back. The danger came in when the mannequins were over-taxed; they could only absorb so much. Too much, and I figured that was when "combustion" became involved.

Eager to get started, I rigged up the mannequins by tying them to the logs, at different heights and angles. Now, I could work on my speed and flash-steps, as well as striking at the mannequins. And hopefully not exploding.

The first run went quite well. After warming up, I started on top of the first log and balanced lightly on one foot, swaying slightly in the cool breeze. Then, I launched myself forward into the air.

One, two, three... I lightly touched the top of each log with precision, though a little slower than I would have liked. Then I continued, and as I passed the mannequins I would flash-step down, throw a punch or a kick, then leap up and away. It felt like hitting a marshmallow, and I was able to reach each target without breaking too much of a sweat.

The second time was different. I tried to speed it up a little, and ended up falling from the fifth log. The mannequins this time had changed too, and felt like hitting muscle; soft, but less yielding.

The third time the mannequins were rock-solid, and seemed to have expanded a little. I felt the corresponding dip in my power as it sucked away my strength with each blow. But I had a bottomless reservoir inside me and recklessly pumped more out.

A fourth time, then a fifth, sixth, seventh...

At this point I was well and truly winded, limbs shaking from the exertion, but I also felt a strange exhilaration. I could feel it working; each time I could hit harder and move faster, sinking into a state of heightened awareness and instinctive reaction.

On the eighth round, I swung a powerful roundhouse-kick at the first mannequin, and discovered just _why_ it had been discontinued.

The backlash from the energy compounded with all the energy I'd fed into it up until that point exploded outward, hitting me with a concussive wave that blew me backwards like a rag doll. I went end-over-end several times, ears ringing, until I plowed into the grass half-way across the field and came to a stop.

After a moment, I raised my head and blinked heavily a few times. My body felt battered and a stinging, crackling energy dissipated slowly from my abused muscles. Something hot was running down my face, and when I pawed at it my hand came away bright red with blood. I'd broken my nose. From tentative prodding I discovered it wasn't out of place, at least, and I heaved myself back to my feet.

I should have felt worse for wear.

I should have wanted to get myself checked out for a concussion.

But instead a laugh came bubbling up from somewhere deep inside, and I grinned a wide and bloody grin, barely noticing that the motion made my lip split and added to the blood dripping down, wetting the grass at my feet.

Like craving the rush from flinging yourself out a plane with a flimsy parachute, all I wanted was to _do it again_...

By using a flash-step perhaps I could avoid the backlash... I'd just have to go faster. Hit harder.

 _Get stronger_.

And it wasn't even lunch-time yet.

* * *

 _Two nights later..._

"Again?!"

The booming voice of the largest student rang out in disbelief as he squinted at the ridiculously long name written in loopy, flowing letters in the book.

He paged back. She'd trained twice on Monday, and then Tuesday was filled with her name - through day and night, it seemed, with short breaks for meals. Hardly anyone else had a chance to sign in at all. He turned back to the current day's record and scowled.

 **Wednesday**

 **01:30-3:00** _Mitsomiya Faraendys Redendra_

 **05:00-10:00** _Mitsomiya Faraendys Redendra_

 **10:00-11:00** Tana, Jo-Jo  & friends.

 **11:00-13:00** _Mitsomiya Faraendys Redendra_

 **13:30-16:00** _Mitsomiya Faraendys Redendra_

 **16:00-17:30** Retsu, Hanaya, Obi, Misto, Natsu, Sakura

 **17:30-19:00** _Mitsomiya Faraendys Redendra_

Now, it was just past ten o'clock at night, and this girl had booked it _again_ for two hours?!

"When does she sleep?" asked his friend in an awed voice. "I thought it was weird she was skipping all our classes."

The big student ground his teeth. This was the third day they'd come to the training fields and been turned away - and for what? Just what kind of training could be done for so long, alone? "I don't know what this bitch thinks she's doing," he growled, "But we're going to find out."

And with that said, he strode through the gates purposefully, ignoring the gatekeeper's feeble protests.

His seven burly friends grinned in savage anticipation of the coming confrontation, and followed.

 **Author's note:**

 **Yes, she learns flash steps in like two days. Keep in mind, Ichigo mastered flash steps after training with Uruhara, and he's supposed to have crap control over his reiatsu. So I figured it's not too fast for Raen.**

 **Leave a review, please, about your favourite parts!**


	9. Chapter 9: Fight! Fight! Fight!

**Chapter 9: Fight! Fight! Fight!**

* * *

I was well aware of the eight idiots approaching in the darkness even before my eyes could see them, mainly because I was on a constant high alert (I had been half-expecting Kenpachi to drop from the sky and try to kill me at any moment during the past week).

Of course, in comparison to _him,_ they were barely a blip on the spiritual-sensing radar, so I wasn't too concerned.

I'd had a good training session over the last couple of hours, and I was rather beat up - those training mannequins seriously packed a punch. And it seemed they had a limit to the number of times they would reflect my power back at me; half of them had already blown apart into useless pieces from the relentless pounding of my strikes. In contrast, my condition was oddly better: sure, I had bruises up to my ears and blood dripping from facial orifices that should probably be professionally looked at, but I didn't feel _finished._ Instead of exhausted, I felt intoxicated, kind of... _buzzed._ I felt like I was floating. If not for my insane spiritual power I was pretty sure I'd be face-down in the grass, but still the energy surged within me. The little control I'd managed to learn since my arrival in Seireitei was quite beyond me at this point, and I was a little worried by the reiatsu leaking out of me all over the place. The fact that Kenpachi hadn't sensed it and found me made me think that the training grounds probably had some kind of barrier around it.

Seeing the students approach, I turned away from the last mannequin I'd been beating up and rolled my shoulder experimentally. Something crunched in the joint before settling, but I ignored the pinching pain that accompanied it. I still had full mobility so it can't have been important.

I shook my head and waited for the ringing to go away - it sounded like a crazed violinist was sawing away in my ears. I squinted - _Ah, I recognize some of them_ , I mused, noticing with interest that my vision also seemed effected by my condition; colours had gotten strangely bright and almost fluid-looking. My extremities were numb, giving me a weird sense of disconnection to my body. Regardless, my mind at least was quite lucid - I could deduce who they were and guess why they had arrived. Especially since they were approaching me with such obvious hostility. I felt a momentary twinge of guilt- I had been booking out the field for almost three days solid now, and that surely inconvenienced people - but the twinge faded. My reasons for being an inconvenience were sound; it was nothing more or less than my very _life_ on the line here. Perhaps if I explained, they would understand.

Though they were dressed like students of the academy, their ages varied from young teenager (one spotty youth with a pinched face) to the oldest, a bulky man who looked to be in his thirties and also seemed to be the ring-leader. His muscles bulged in his arms and neck as he scowled, as if hoping he would intimidate me by virtue of size alone. He stomped forward until he stood directly before me.

"Uh... 'Sup?" I nodded at him, folding my arms. The casual motion made my abused muscles scream but I kept my face neutral.

The other seven hung back, seeming somewhat reluctant to approach so recklessly. At least _some_ of them could sense my very obvious reiatsu leaking all over the place like a punctured kiddie-pool. I caught the slightly nauseated expressions of the dudes just behind the ringleader and belatedly scrubbed my face with my sleeve, hopefully clearing the majority of blood from my nose and split lips. _Coupled with the bruises and general dirt from being tossed around by the explosive mannequins, who knows what they must think of me_ , I thought somewhat giddily.

"Oi, _girly,"_ growled the ring-leader, flexing his fists meaningfully, "I gotta bone to pick with you. Every time me n'my mates here want to use the grounds you're signed in!" he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the gatehouse in the distance.

"I have a good reason." I sighed. "And anyway, if you've already seen my name, then why don't you _use_ it?" _Girly_ just wasn't appropriate for a future Captain and Kuchiki Byakuya's future lover.

"As if I give a shit about a _nobody_ like you," he sneered. "Just get lost before I really get annoyed!"

"My name is _Raen,"_ I responded, feeling a twinge of annoyance. "Try to remember it." Introducing myself was becoming such a pain. Repeating the shortened version was becoming my catchphrase. "You see, I'm actually in mortal danger from the Captain of the Eleventh Division, who's trying to kill me, so I've been training in order to-"

"I don't give a shit," he interrupted harshly, showing no sign he'd even heard me. "Now get the hell out." he indicated his buddies with a nod. "We're training here."

There went my attempt at an explanation. What about negotiation? "By all means," I said generously, waving an arm at the expansive field. "Train away. But I'm afraid I'm in the middle of something, so I'm not leaving. If you want to use the training posts we can divide them up-"

He stepped forward threateningly, until his face was right in mine. "Didn't you hear me?" he barked, spittle flying. I flinched away, mostly from his breath. He took it as a sign of my defeat and smirked in triumph. "And if you know what's good for you, you won't let me catch you here again!"

"Dude," I gasped, flapping a hand, "Have you ever heard of breath-mints? Like, _seriously!"_

For a moment he gaped at me, clearly enraged by my continued defiance, and then with an outraged bellow, he swung his meaty fist at my face.

 _Pathetic,_ I thought, flash-stepping behind him easily. It felt like he was moving in slow motion. Even if he'd hit me I could tell it wouldn't have had much of an impact. He wasn't using any spiritual energy - because he didn't seem to have much.

I watched his battle-cry trail off into a confused "...Uuuaahh?" as he whipped his head left and right to see where I'd gotten to.

"Behind you," I said helpfully.

He spun around with a girlish shriek, stumbling back.

I chuckled. For a rude oaf, he really made some interesting sounds.

"Here's an idea," I said conversationally, turning to the seven other guys watching with open mouths, "Let's train together!" I made a fist with my right hand and caught a slow punch with my open left palm. Just that simple movement made my bones creak from the power released by my muscles, and the air trembled around me. My spiritual energy doubled, then trebled in anticipation, causing an unnatural wind to lift strands of my hair. "I must warn you, though," I said sheepishly, "At the moment I don't think I can hold back."

The seven guys seemed _reluctant,_ to say the least. Most were frozen in the face of my awesomeness. The skinny, youngest one was outright quivering. I shot him what I hoped was a friendly smile, and he turned tail and actually ran, disappearing into the treeline. (At the time I was confused, but later I realized that I'd probably had blood on my teeth).

The others weren't as smart, and exchanged nervous glances, but decided not to budge. I remembered that they were all members of the "Advanced Class" at the academy, and probably had issues of pride to deal with. Their zanpakuto's were at their sides, and some of them were anxiously resting their hands on the hilts already. I excitedly wondered if any of them had attained the release of their swords yet - I hadn't had the opportunity to see one. Using zanpakutos outside of class or without shinigami supervision was Rule Number 1 at the Academy; I'd been threatened with expulsion if I tried. The training ground was one of the few exceptions, but I was still pretty sure the Academy wouldn't condone us fighting _each other_.

I heard a whisper of steel from behind me as the big guy drew his own zanpakuto. "Last chance to leave, little girl," he sneered, bravado back in place.

"Right back atcha." I drawled, but left my zanpakuto where it was. I had no desire to be expelled.

At my words the others also drew their swords, shifting to create a ring around me. Their superior numbers seemed to give them confidence despite the steam that was now curling up from the grass around my feet. This was so exciting! My first fight.

With a yell the biggest dude charged at me, swinging his sword clumsily at my back.

Once again it seemed like he was moving in slow motion, only this time I didn't avoid the blow. He'd been aiming for my shoulder - trying to wound, not kill, at least - so I raised my hand and caught the blade with an anti-climactic _thwack._

He froze in shock - they all did.

I peered at my palm, still gripping the sharp edge of his blade, and snorted. It hadn't even broken the skin. It felt like catching a stick. I squeezed it experimentally and instantly felt the fragility of the blade - it shivered like glass under the pressure. And swords were conscious - the poor thing was probably terrified. Before I snapped it I let go, hastily, feeling like a bully.

He jumped backward, but shook himself out of his shock remarkably quickly. "Just a fluke," he announced confidently, and charged again.

With a sigh I stepped around him and gave him a small, experimental push in between his shoulder blades.

With a muffled yelp, he flew head over heels for several meters, before coming to a halt in a crumpled heap. He looked a little cross-eyed, but otherwise quite intact.

I flexed my fist, pleased. I hadn't killed him!

The others filled the air with surprised exclamations, calling out if their friend was okay. A couple of them whimpered and backed away, but some looked outraged.

I grinned and made a "come hither" gesture.

"Who's next?"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, and all but three were groaning on the ground around me beside their fallen ring-leader.

The three that remained were a little more interesting.

Tall and serious-faced, the three young men had managed to avoid my blows with exemplary flash-steps, and so far had remained quiet, observing my movements with eyes more experienced than mine. They had drawn swords, but hadn't attacked just yet...

"You guys are different from the rest," I commented, folding my arms and relaxing into a standing pose. "Do you even want to fight me? We could learn a lot from training together." I was hopeful they would accept my offer. Their zanpakutos seemed packed more densely with reiatsu than the others - it seemed they might actually have achieved the released form!

One of the guys had shoulder-length blonde hair, and he was the one who spoke now, scowling. "Not after what you did to Kenji-san!"

"Who?" I asked, confused. I followed their gaze to the bulky ringleader, who seemed to have regained his wits and was struggling to his feet at last. "Oh, him." I gave him a cheerful wave. "Sorry, Kenji-san!"

He staggered to his feet, his thick fingers gripping his zanpakuto so hard they turned white, "... Unforgiv-..." he panted, "Unforgivable!" He drew himself up and puffed out his chest. "For you to lay a hand on the great Kenji-sama is UNFORGIVABLE!"

I sighed, sensing an incoming rant. "Here we go..."

"JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

"As I mentioned before, my name is-"

"SHUT UP! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST ENTER THE ACADEMY AND DO AS YOU PLEASE-"

I cast a look back at the three others still standing, and saw them nodding, agreeing. "Why do you follow this fool?" I asked them, exasperated.

"Don't interrupt Kenji-san!" hissed the blonde guy.

Well, 'Kenji-san' hadn't even noticed our little exchange.

"-SKIPPING CLASSES AND BOOKING THE FIELDS! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE IN THE ADVANCED CLASS! JUST WHEN HAVE YOU PROVED THAT-"

Perhaps it was time to change tack.

"I totally agree you." I said simply, nodding sympathetically.

"YOU SHOULD NOT- wait... what?" I'd completely derailed his ire with my unexpected answer.

"I agree." I repeated.

"You - Are you tryin' to screw with me?!"

I sighed in the face of his hysterics. "I agree that I probably shouldn't have been given special treatment."

He gaped soundlessly.

"I'm pretty sure the entire system here is flawed." I stated calmly. "The fact that I can actually skip an entire class _every day_ and still get special treatment is appalling. I have a lot of reiatsu, but I don't know shit about actually using it. I'm sure you guys have worked really hard with the amount of spiritual energy you can use, honing your talents over time. While I just walk in and basically do whatever. It's blatantly saying only power matters, and nothing else." I snorted, "It's no wonder people keep trying to take over Soul Society and change stuff." I'd read up on the events of the past couple of years. Aizen was just the worst of many cases of shinigamis going bad and abusing positions of power. And just the fact that they'd relied on a Substitute Shinigami to save the day instead of the many talented and clever Captains among the Gotei 13 told me the Captain-Commander didn't have faith in the system either.

They all just stared at me.

"However, that said," I continued, "I _do_ have an issue with you targeting me because of your annoyance at this injustice. Clearly, something is wrong at an institutional level. At the moment, I'm afraid I can't do anything to change it. You'll have to wait until I become a Captain, and then rest assured I'll address all your concerns directly to the Captain-Commander."

This (extremely generous) statement seemed to enrage their ring-leader even further.

"You?" he boomed, his face going an unattractive red with temper, "Become a Captain?!"

Perhaps all of my very well-thought-out and rational arguments went over his head, and he'd just picked up on this. "Yes." I said in a long-suffering voice.

"You're a hundred years too early to even think of it!" he smacked his own chest proudly, "That's coming from a man who has spent sixty years perfecting his skills and honing his talents!"

Now I was struck dumb, but only for a moment.

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Sixty... YEARS?! You've been a student at the academy for sixty _years?"_

"Now you understand just how unprepared you are to face-"

"Pfft!" I couldn't help it.

"DID YOU JUST LAUGH?"

"Dude," I said, unsuccessfully trying to stifle my snorting, "You took sixty _years_ to get into the special advanced class? Look, I'm halfway impressed by your... uh... _determination..._ But seriously, don't you think you should start considering another career path? Like... perhaps this isn't for you..."

With an outraged bellow he charged for a third time, swinging his sword wildly.

And behind me I felt an explosion of reiatsu as the three others released their swords.

This was precisely the opening they'd been waiting for!

I felt their killing intent spike, as all three flash-stepped together while my back was turned.

My eyes widened.

I had no time to escape or block.


	10. Chapter 10: Explode

**Chapter 10: Explode**

* * *

 _Pain._

That was my first thought, because I felt like I was being ripped apart. I couldn't even gasp, and my vision seemed to flicker as the blinding pain tore into me. I glanced downwards and saw the sharp tips of three differently-shaped swords sticking out of my uniform, along with a dark stain of red spreading across my front. I'd been stabbed in the back.

 _Will you look at that_ , I thought weakly, _It's like an inkblot test. I think I see a bird, and -_

I blacked out.

* * *

Zaraki Kenpachi was idly sprawled on the roof tiles of his Squad's barracks, fondly watching Yachiru chatter away about the latest candy she'd extorted from Ikkaku and Yumichika, when suddenly in the distance the night sky was illuminated by a brilliant column of white light, exploding upwards. It was some distance away, but Kenpachi recognized the spiritual pressure. He'd been tracking it unsuccessfully for _days._

"Yachiru," he said with a ferocious grin, getting up.

"Yup, let's go, Ken-chan!" she sang happily, grabbing onto his shoulder.

"Fuck yeah, it's about time!" he roared, and launched himself into the air in the direction of the training fields.

* * *

In the Twelfth Division HQ, a red light on a monitor began flashing.

"Sir," called the nervous-looking shinigami in front of the screen, standing up.

"Yes?" Third seat Akon approached with his hands clasped loosely behind his back. "What is it?"

"There seems to be a disturbance in the forty-fourth quadrant," reported the man, pointing at the data scrolling across his screen.

"At the Academy?" Akon frowned, the small horns on his forehead twitching.

"Yes, sir. The barrier on the Specialized Training Field has broken."

"Bring up surveillance."

"Sir." the man tapped at his keyboard briefly and then the large screen on the wall flickered into life. By this time the rest of the shinigami's in lab coats working in the room had stopped their tasks and were watching with open mouths.

Akon narrowed his eyes. The video feed showed a rapidly dispersing column of blinding white reiatsu which had been released inside the training grounds. Its source, however, was concealed by the trees around the area.

"We have nothing closer?" he snapped.

"N-no, sir," stuttered the shinigami.

"Fine. Analyse it - our sensors should be going haywire."

"Analysing..." the room waited with baited breath as the results scrolled onto his screen.

"WARNING... WARNING... HIGH-RISK SUBJECT DETECTED..." Bleeped the machine unexpectedly. The recently added file on a Level XXXXX new soul came up on screen.

Akon blinked at the monitor in surprise for a few seconds, before straightening. "Page the Captain, we need-"

"That won't be necessary," drawled a snide voice from the doorway.

"C-Captain Mayuri!" greeted Akon hurriedly, bowing and moving out of the way as the abrasive scientist swept into the room, Nemu following close behind as usual.

"How interesting," leered the Captain, ignoring his subordinates in favour of scanning the data on the monitors. "It's _that_ girl. I wonder what's happening?" He rubbed his hands together gleefully. "We need to bring her in for _testing..."_

"Should I give the order to retrieve her, Captain?" Akon asked briskly.

"No, no," Mayuri scoffed, "The Captain-Commander wouldn't allow it - due process and all that-" he looked mildly annoyed just thinking about it. "Alert whichever squad is closest to deal with this," he said, waving a distracted hand. "We just need patience. I'll make other plans for... _acquiring_ her..."

* * *

Vice-Captain Abarai Renji was doing paperwork, even though it was almost midnight.

It wasn't exactly his favourite job, but he knew that if he didn't get through it, Captain Kuchiki would want to know why. The noble was a stickler for procedures and doing things by the book, and that meant Renji had about a month's worth of reports to file about the Squad's recent activities. Ever since the whole 'Aizen incident', as people were calling it, paperwork had tripled for all the squads. Not only were they busier with the increased pressure of invading Hollows, but the Captain-Commander had also ordered a major overhaul of the way the squads operated. Everything was reported on, extensively. The newly reinstated Central 46 was committed to not letting even minor disturbances escape their notice.

So he already had a headache when distantly he heard a sound like an explosion, and felt the oppressive... yet somehow familiar...? reiatsu.

"... Raen?" he muttered, frowning. "What's that girl up to now?"

He was only wondering for three minutes, after which the screen door abruptly slid open.

"Vice-Captain Abarai!" reported the out-of-breath shinigami, bowing hastily. "We have orders from Twelfth Division!"

Renji kneaded his forehead and thrust himself away from the hellish paperwork. "I'll see to it myself. Gather whoever's on duty, and let's go."

* * *

Meanwhile...

* * *

I dreamt of a frozen lake.

A wide field of white, disappearing into mist which swirled away in every direction. There was utter silence, except for the crunch of ice under my hands as I pushed myself slowly to my feet.

My robe was white too, like the cloth I'd been wearing when I'd first arrived in Soul Society. However, a large stain of red drenched the back and front.

 _Ah, that's right_ , I remembered. _I was stabbed by those three._

There was no sign of them here, and I had a pretty good guess where I was. I'd read up on the "internal world" that one could theoretically visit, in order to commune with your zanpakutou. But it was so silent here, and I was alone. I didn't even know his name... so how was I supposed to call him out?

Perhaps it _wasn't_ my internal world. _What if_ \- my breath was suddenly snatched away by the sudden thought- _what if I was actually dead?_ _Mitsomiya Faraendys Redendra, only a couple of weeks old, killed by her murderous classmates while trying to reason with them._

"That's unfair..." my voice sounded small in the yawning silence.

I sat down abruptly on the ice and sniffed, biting my lip.

"... **That's _unfair_** _,"_ mocked a sing-song voice suddenly, deep and male and scathing. " **Get a fucking grip**."

"Z-zapakutou?!" I jumped to my feet, dashing the tears away from my eyes as my heart leapt in joy. "You _are_ here!" I spun in a circle, but there was no way I could tell where the voice came from. All I could see was mist, and more mist. And below, white ice. The chill was giving me goosebumps.

" **Unfortunately**." he sneered. " **I thought I made it clear that you weren't allowed to bother me for trivial matters** _._ "

"It's not trivial!" I assured him, "Dude, I'm _dying_!" I indicated my chest, "Can you see what's happening out there? In fact," I craned my head to inspect the wounds critically. At least they didn't hurt here. "Those idiots might have actually hit some major organs-"

" **Deal with it**." he snapped, unsympathetic.

I felt a little offended. Weren't zanpakutous supposed to be your partners, protecting and helping you? Why was mine so foul-mouthed and aggressive? "Fine. I'll just _die,_ then." I folded my arms and scowled moodily.

There was a somewhat awkward pause.

" **Why didn't you beat those guys?"** he asked at last. I could tell he was reining in his temper with an effort.

"I didn't expect them to actually try to _kill_ me!" I retorted. "We were just having a discussion about training. No matter how you look at it, they were really out of order!"

" **I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHO STARTED IT!** " roared the voice, and I winced, chastised. " **Why didn't you use me?!** "

I hadn't even touched my zanpakutou the whole time; it still stuck through my belt. "Well," I mumbled, "You see, I'm not allowed to use a zanpakutou without superv-..."

" **Did that stop _them?_** _"_ his sarcastic tone was cruel.

"No, but-"

" **If you want to be a shinigami, act like one!** " he barked. " **If you have an enemy, cut him down. If you don't want to be cut down yourself, then leave your SHITTY sense of SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS at the door!** "

"You can't just kill _everyone_ who gets in your way!" I burst out, aghast at his bloodthirstiness. Was this really a part of me? If so, I was violent as hell, deep down.

" **Why not?** " he demanded stubbornly. " **It's their fault. They deserve to get their fucking hearts _ripped out_ for starting a fight with us. And anyway, what do you know of fighting!?"**

"And what do _you_ know, exactly?" I threw it back in his face (where ever his face was). "You're _my_ zanpakutou. You've never been in a fight, either!"

This quietened him for a while - I may have struck a nerve, there.

" **Well, then... I can't help you** ," he said at last, tone quite different from the belligerence of earlier. He was... almost regretful. Perhaps he did care, after all. " **I can only be used for killing**."

"I know." I sighed. The realization was sobering. If I ever used my zanpakutou, I had to be prepared to kill... It wasn't something to take lightly.

The rapier and the dagger were both useless as defensive weapons, and I didn't want to test out just how dangerous they were on some idiot student. So, that left me with one last option...

"Lend me more reiatsu," I suggested. "That is, if you can...? I know I've been training hard these past few days-"

He snorted, gaining a bit of his sass back. " **If I can? Idiot. See all this mist?** "

I glanced about. "Yes...?"

" **Mist is evaporated water. That is the power you've been able to access up to this point.** "

"It's a fair amount of mist, I guess..." I said blankly, not getting it.

" **UGH! Just what do you suppose you're standing on?"** he roared, impatient.

"Um... Ice...? Lots of ice...?"

 **"It's a fucking FROZEN LAKE!"**

"Oh. OH!"

" **It's frozen over so that you don't go reiatsu-super-nova, idiot!"**

I scuffed my foot on the surface experimentally - it didn't budge. "Well, can I... I dunno, chip a piece off or something?"

" **I don't care anymore. Go for it."**

Suddenly a replica of my rapier was visible through the swirling mist, lying on the ice.

I went over and picked it up, hefting it carefully. As usual, it's lightness belied the savagely sharp edge and point. _A weapon for killing._ How would it fair as a makeshift ice-pick?

Scraping the ice didn't have much effect, so I pointed it tip-down and shoved it in.

To my gratification it sank in about three inches, quite easily. "That wasn't so hard." I remarked.

An ominous cracking sound came from deep below my feet.

" **Uhhh... Raen...** "

 _Even my zanpakutou doesn't use my full name,_ I mused mournfully. I ignored him and leant on the hilt, shoving the rapier down further. I felt something give way.

" **Be careful when you-** "

"That should do it!" I changed my grip and tensed to pull the sword out, feeling a little like an Arthurian legend.

" **Raen-!** "

I yanked on the hilt, hard.

My zanpakutou's slightly panicked tone was the last thing I heard, before my whole world dissolved in a brilliant explosion of white.


	11. Chapter 11: Best Night Ever

**Chapter 11: Best Night Ever**

* * *

The first sensation I became aware of was a rushing feeling, as if I was creaky plumbing system through which torrential river was trying to force itself through. It was such a wild and extreme feeling, I felt like I was about to come apart entirely. I was blinded by light, deafened by noise... I couldn't tell if I was screaming, what was up or down.

But I had not been enduring hellish training for no reason. Though my control was still pretty crap, I _had_ learnt to vaguely sense and manipulate my own spiritual energy. Slowly, painstakingly, I wrestled with my power, shoving it down. Atfer my trip to the inner world, I was able to visualize the source of my power, understand it a little better. And gradually I sensed the pressure slackening off, and became aware of my own harsh breathing. Focusing on an inhale-exhale meditation technique I'd recently learnt, I was finally able to slam a lid on my rampaging power once and for all.

 _See, zanpakutou?_ I told myself triumphantly, _I'm getting better at this._ But he made no reply, retreating into that frozen inner world. I wondered when I'd get to speak with him again, and if it would be easier now that we'd come to - kind of - an understanding.

I staggered dizzily to my feet ( _when had I fallen on the ground? Oh, that's right, I blacked out..._ ) and raised a hand to my face, scrubbing at my eyes. Why was I blind? But even as I began panicking, vision was returning in spots and hazy shapes, as if I'd been staring directly into the sun.

In a crater about five meters in diameter, the ground of the training field was torn up and blasted from my spiritual power, the remnants of which hung, shimmering on the night air around me like a heat haze, while I stood in the epicenter, unharmed.

Well, not _unharmed,_ exactly.

I suddenly coughed, violently, and glanced down at the hand I'd reflexively brought to my mouth.

"I'm coughing blood." I said in surprise.

 _I'm coughing BLOOD._

"Holy shi-" I broke off into more coughing, doubling over as crippling pain reminded me of my injuries. And the three blades still _sticking through me_. How had I not noticed until now?

I felt a spike of panic- this looked _bad._ Like, _really_ bad. However you looked at it, it was a fatal wound. And yet, though it hurt like a bitch, I didn't _feel_ on death's door. The strength of my reiatsu was still surging through me, more contained now, but potent. It gave me the strength to stand, to keep conscious and aware even though I was fighting to breathe.

 _Pretty sure at least one of my lungs are punctured..._

My hands were trembling, the first signs of shock beginning to set in. I wondered whether it was a good idea to remove the weapons. Each blade was slightly different in form, the rough length and width of an unreleased zanpakutou, but each had a unique curve and slightly different shape. My fingertips reached behind me, groping blindly until I found the hilts, sticking out of my back like porcupine quills. The movement had me spasm in pain and cough again, spitting more blood.

I was also beginning to feel more and more _pissed off_.

I didn't think I could move very well with these swords still in me, and that was a problem. For revenge reasons.

Deciding to inspect the wound before making any rash decisions, I carefully struggled out of the sleeves of my training uniform, peeling it away to pool at my hips, exposing my chest (my modesty was preserved by the thin vest I wore beneath, now ripped and soaked red). The swords had created a gigantic vertical slash directly through my chest. They'd cut into me at an upward angle, entering through my lower back, with the sharp tips exiting through my sternum. If I'd been human, of course, the bone would have shattered and nerves and tendons and all that stuff would have been messed up. But this was the _spiritual_ world, and I'd been cut by _spiritual_ weapons. They'd simply gone right through me, cutting bone as easily as flesh. Not to mention the vital organs in between. Like my intestines. Liver. Kidneys. Whatever else was in there.

 _Again, how the heck am I still standing?_ I wondered. The wound hadn't healed or anything miraculous, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped by itself.

 _That_ is _pretty miraculous, I guess._

Would my guts spill out if I removed the swords?

"Only one way to find out." I muttered, clenching my teeth so they stopped chattering, in anticipation of the agony to come.

I reached behind me and gripped a hilt.

 _Three, two... one..._

My choked scream rang out across the training fields. I couldn't see anyone outside of my crater, but I imagine the scene was pretty eerie for anyone nearby. It was the dead of night and the area was blanketed in misty residue of my rampaging power.

I dropped the stained sword on the ground in front of me, and noted in relief that at least my organs weren't pouring out of me. Yet.

 _Number two..._

I tried to hold it back, but I couldn't help a choked groan and a string of expletives from streaming out. For the third sword, an involuntary howl was torn from my throat.

At last it was over, and, panting shallowly, I looked down at the three blades lying in the dirt. My fingers twitched.

I drew my rapier for the first time since this whole mess began.

I sensed a weird energy coming off the other zanpakutous... like a bad smell.

 _Fear._

Good.

It took one slash, the edge of my blade barely brushing the surface of the other weapons. Instantly, they shattered, like a fragile teacup trodden under a boot.

Despite the pain I was enduring, I managed a savage grin. My rapier strictly _wasn't_ a slashing weapon, yet in all the excitement the bloodlust had built up, sharpening the edge. It was a little... _over-eager_. Plus, I had no reservations about destroying the zanpakutous which had caused me such pain; there was no uncertainty in my heart to dull the blade.

Now it was time to deal with their _owners._

Seeing as I still didn't want to commit _murder_ \- though they deserved it - I stuck my zanpakutou back into my belt, cracked my knuckles meaningfully, and began clambering out of the crater, still spitting blood occasionally.

* * *

Renji and his men arrived on the scene promptly, since their barracks were quite close by.

The first thing he saw was the slim, bloodstained figure of a young woman, breathing heavily but standing tall - over the bodies of three other students. Five others were lying nearby, too. None of them were moving.

And she was yelling at them.

"Hey, you little shits, GET UP! D'YOU HEAR ME?! I'm not done with you just yet!" she stamped her foot in a fit of temper, and Renji winced, feeling her spiritual power pressing down uncomfortably on him. His squad-mates seemed reluctant to approach, and he couldn't blame them. He could feel her bloodlust from here.

But he was no slouch with spiritual power himself.

"Oi, Raen!" he shouted, striding forward while drawing his zanpakutou. "Step away from them! What the fuck did you do?"

At the sound of his voice, she turned towards him, and he stopped dead, eyes widening. There was a gaping wound on her chest - bone and all sorts of grisly things were actually visible in the violent slash. She had blood leaking out the side of her mouth. Despite all of this, she was standing, quite normally, and her eyes were clear and aware.

And she seemed pleased to see him.

"Renji!" she greeted, "It's good tha-" she paused briefly to hack a cough and spit some blood, "That you've come."

He just stared, still too shocked to react. _What on earth...?_ He noticed that she hadn't drawn her zanpakutou - it's blade was clean. The bodies didn't seem injured, outwardly, beside some very bruised and swollen faces. _What the..._

"Arrest these cretins," she said confidently, "They attacked me without provocation."

"Sir," one of his subordinates seemed to have pulled himself together enough to check on the students lying strewn around. "They're only unconscious."

Renji scowled at Raen. "Right. I'm taking you into custody-"

"Why?" she exclaimed, sounding very offended. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Nevertheless, I need to get everything straightened out - hear the full story. Will you come without a fuss?" His grip tightened on Zambimaru.

Raen looked him up and down for a moment, and Renji felt a chill crawling up his spine. That gaze was sharp, shrewd, assessing... Nothing like the dreamy innocence of her usual expression.

But fortunately the moment passed, and she shrugged, agreeing. "Sure."

Renji narrowed his eyes at her - there was more to her than met the eye. No wonder the Captain had taken such an interest in her that day of the entrance exam. It had been a little out of character for him, but he was smart like that...

He turned to his mean. "Get Fourth Squad here, immediately. We need medical attention for..." he counted, "... Nine." he was counting Raen, too. He didn't know how long she could stay conscious while in that condition, though she didn't seem that bothered at the moment. It was kind of creepy, like she was a zombie or something. He'd seen shinigamis fight in worse condition, sure, but she was standing there all _relaxed,_ as if it was nothing.

"Now, Raen, I need you to surrender your zan-"

"MITSOMIYA FARAENDYS REDENDRA!" roared a loud and obnoxious voice, as a gigantic man with a giggling pink-haired girl clinging to his shoulder landed on the grass, causing another crater to form from the force of his landing.

"Ah, shit.." groaned Renji, as the ground trembled beneath his feet. He grabbed the shoulder of the nearest shinigami. "Get the Captain. Now!"

The man gulped and nodded, flash-stepping away.

"FIGHT ME!" the new arrival bellowed cheerfully. He completely ignored the bodies lying around and Renji's ticked off expression.

Raen held up her hands, "Um, well..." she gave a nervous laugh, "I don't really want-"

"SCREW THAT, LET'S GO!" Zaraki Kenpachi was tired of waiting. He launched himself at her, swinging his sword down at her shocked face.

Renji felt his headache worsen, but didn't let it slow his reaction.

"Howl, Zambimaru!"

* * *

I felt a rush of affection for Renji as he prevented my instant annihilation by flash-stepping in front of me, his sword snaking through the air in undulating links, like a snake. It blocked Kenpachi's attack with a scream of grinding metal, sparks flying.

 _What a cool sword release!_ I gushed to myself, feeling a little jealous.

"Thanks, Re-"

My words were snatched away by the wind as Kenpachi delivered a brutal kick to my erstwhile protector's stomach... and sent him flying about twenty metres away.

 _So much for that, then._ I winced sympathetically on his behalf - that kick had looked really painful - but of course I had my own problems to deal with. This time, there was nothing between me and the man trying to kill me. Nowhere to run.

It was time to _survive._

At least Renji had interrupted Kenpachi's first attack - I hadn't been one-shot KO'd, which the survival handbook was always harping on about.

Now, I had time to draw my zanpakutou and take the stance I'd been taught in zanjutsu classes, bracing myself for the coming onslaught. Obviously I didn't have experience in fighting - like, at all - which is why drawing my sword wasn't exactly _instinctive._ I couldn't just _react_ when someone attacked my face out of the blue.

Or tried to stab me in the back.

But now I was prepared, and I stood my ground with my rapier raised and ready. It was a killing weapon - not much good for defense, either - and yet I'd seen the power I was capable of summoning. Furthermore, my zanpakutou was crying out for blood. It's savage eagerness made me keen to see it in action; I was fully aware Kenpachi was on a whole other level, which meant that I had to go all-out... and hope it was enough.

"Bring it, bitch!" I squeaked, clenching my jaw.

He just laughed like an insane man and attacked with a flurry of blows.

 _Left - right - left - head - leg -_

I swung my rapier rapidly, barely meeting each of his blows. To my relief, my narrow rapier was a lot stronger than it looked and held up well, causing a spray of angry sparks each time our blades touched. I didn't have time to respond in kind, and I was getting pushed back with every blow, my feet making trenches in the dirt... And I could tell he was holding back. Like, a _lot_. He was just feeling me out.

"Too slow!" he grinned, and with embarrassing ease, he slipped past my clumsy block to slash open my right shoulder to the bone.

The blood sprayed out - no mysterious force was preventing _that_ wound from acting normally.

 _"Fu-"_ I gasped, staggering back.

"That all you got?" he taunted.

I could barely grip my sword - he'd slashed through the muscles and tendons in my right shoulder. But the molded grip was not made for the left hand - I felt a spike of panic. If I was having trouble maintaining my grip on the hilt, now slippery with blood, how the heck was I supposed to block the next attack?

I glanced around, but during the fighting I'd been pushed some distance away from Renji and the other shinigami.

I could try a kido, but the incantation was long and hard to remember - plus I was really crap at it. I didn't want to blow myself up by mistake. So, what to do?

For some reason my mind flew to the conversation I'd had with my zanpakutou, in the inner world. What was it he'd said...?

 _If you have an enemy, cut him down. If you don't want to be cut down yourself, then leave your SHITTY sense of SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS at the door!"_

Rude, but perhaps he had a point. This whole time I'd been so concerned with being nice, being polite, working well with others. I'd wanted to make friends. I'd wanted to get stronger. I'd wanted to improve myself, strive for something. And where did this get me? Stabbed in the back and on the brink of death.

It was time I stopped playing nice.

With this surprisingly vicious thought, I suddenly remembered that yes, I did have something else _up my sleeve_ \- almost literally, in fact...

Giving Kenpachi no warning, I suddenly bent my knees and snapped them straight, using every bit of my recently acquired flash-stepping skill to enhance my speed. Since I was already friggin' in front of the guy, I covered the space between us in less than a blink of an eye.

His reaction was just as fast, though. I'd slipped under his arm (fortunately for me, the dude was built like a tank and his arm was well high enough for me to duck) and my rapier was slicing towards his ribcage, but even quicker than I could finish the attack, he'd changed grip on his sword and brought it crashing down. With my ruined arm, I had no way of holding onto it - it span off into the night with a sound like a ringing bell.

But in the meantime, I'd already done the damage I wanted with my left hand.

I retreated to a safe distance and watched the result.

"Close, but not qui-" Kenpachi stopped abruptly, eyes widening.

 _Yeah, you feel that, y'bastard?_

He looked down in confusion, then thrust his sword tip-down into the ground as his right leg buckled, one knee hitting the dirt with a heavy thud.

"Ken-chan?" questioned the pink-haired girl with raised eyebrows. The little weirdo had been clinging onto his shoulder all along. She hopped off and took a closer look at him.

He suddenly erupted into violent laughter, crazily pleased by what I'd done. "Fuckin' _brilliant!"_

Between his fingers clutched over his stomach, blood had started flowing - no, gushing - out of him.

"Why, thank you." I said politely, tucking my dagger back into my robes. I'd used it to hamstring him and slash through his abdominal muscles, while he'd been distracted by the rapier. It wasn't pretty... it wasn't kind... But it did exactly what it was supposed to. No power, no explosions, no special ability... Just a cutting edge like you've never seen. It had cut into his reiatsu-strengthened flesh like a knife through butter. If I'd thrust upward, I probably could have reached his heart.

But a wound like that wouldn't slow him down for long - already I could see the bleeding slow, as a yellow haze began rising like steam off his shoulders.

I quickly flash-stepped away and retrieved my rapier, holding it awkwardly in my left hand. My right was just about useless by now, but I was determined to make a go of it. I had no illusions about using the dagger again; it was a weapon which relied on surprise, after all. I pumped out more reiatsu in preparation of his counter-attack.

Kenpachi lurched to his feet with a grunt. "Yachiru, back off." he ordered with a grin.

"Kay, Ken-chan!" she back-flipped away to a respectable distance.

He stepped closer to me, and I noticed he was limping.

A plan began to hatch in my mind. There was a thick band of trees ringing the field, and it was dark.

"Mitsomiya Faraendys Redendra, eh? Y'actually got some bite in ya, after all."

I flashed him a bloody grin (I was still spitting bits of my ruined lung out every now and then), "Call me Raen. M'name's a bit of a mouthful."

"Sure thing, Raen. I wanna see how far you can go." his grin was wolfish, scariest friggin' thing I'd ever seen. But I kinda liked his straight-forwardness, all the same.

I still had no intention of dying, though.

"You'll have to catch me first." I challenged, and launched into the fastest series of flash-steps I'd ever attempted.

I heard his yell of annoyance, and then heavy crashes right behind me as he tried to run me down.

He was injured, I was injured... neither of us was very mobile. My legs were about the only part of me still intact, so I was slightly better off. I quickly moved into the trees, presenting a moving target that flickered around tree trunks and leapt between branches in order to escape him. Because he was right on my tail, I could hear his breathy curses. As soon as he got close enough, he would swing his sword wildly in my vague direction, destroying lines of trees and giving me a minor heart-attack each time.

The chase can't have been more than two minutes long, and I was already pretty bushed. Running for your life on half a lung is not generally recommended, and flash-stepping was draining at the best of times.

At last I dived out of the way of another particularly violent attack (I swear a few strands of my long, dirty-blonde hair got sheered off, it was so close) and I lost my footing, tumbling into a clearing.

I panted raggedly, pushing myself to my feet, as Kenpachi approached.

"Finished running?" he taunted, whistling a cheerful tune. The bastard seemed mostly unaffected by his wounds.

"Aren't you tired yet?" I asked hopefully, struggling to raise my rapier to shoulder height. _Damn, my arm won't stop trembling..._

He shook his head. "This doesn't end 'til one of us is lyin' on the ground," he explained. "And you just keep getting right on up. This is just too FUN!"

I gritted my teeth and tried not to sway on the spot. I could play dead, but I had a feeling he would know I was lying. I still had an ocean of reiatsu to call up if I needed it, but... I wanted sleep _. And food. Holy crap do I need food._

Seeing the fire re-ignite in my eyes, he kept on smiling that maniacal smile, and raised his sword, foot angling towards me, as-

A dashing figure in a white haori suddenly materialized between us, catching the edge of Kenpachi's sword in one elegant hand and stopping it dead.

"I think that's quite enough."

I could've wept. I'd know that haughty, cultured voice anywhere - I'd heard it so often in my dreams. (The _nice_ kind of dreams... if you catch my drift...)

 _Oh yeah. This is officially the best night ever._

Captain Sexyhair had just arrived to save my sorry ass.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **For those of you who think Kenpachi is being a gigantic jerk: yes, he's kinda insane. But also bear in mind he did not kill Raen, even though let's be honest he has the skill and power to do it. If he took the fight seriously from the beginning she'd have stood no chance. The one injury he gave her was not life-threatening.**

 **Also, why can Raen endure so much of a beating? Things will be explained pseudo-scientifically later. But it is based off an anime, so a little craziness is totally okay. How many times did Ichigo come close to kicking the bucket before recovering miraculously without even a scar? I rest my case.**

 **Leave a review if you like where this is going?**


	12. Chapter 12: Pretty Face

**Chapter 12: Pretty Face**

* * *

"Great timing!" I exclaimed, and sank to my knees with a relieved sigh.

Kuchiki Byakuya spared me a single glance, grey eyes unreadable, over his shoulder. I noticed his gaze travel slowly over my bruised and bleeding face, my bleeding shoulder, the gaping, bleeding wound in my chest...

You get the drift. I was bleeding. A lot. The grass was painted red with my blood, and that's not even me being dramatic.

Suddenly self-conscious, I smoothed my tangled hair back one-handed. As if that would help.

Of course, Kenpachi didn't let him ogle me for long.

"Byakuya?! The hell! Get out of my way!" he jerked his sword easily out of Kuchiki's hand, slicing into his palm as he did so. My future husband's expression didn't change at all, but I watched a small amount of blood blossom on his white sleeve. I lurched to my feet indignantly. "Hey-!"

"Captain Zaraki," Kuchiki beat me to it, "You overstep. Why are you attacking this student?"

"None of your fuckin' business." Kenpachi snapped rudely. Then his eyes lit up, a challenge sparkling in his crazed eyes, "What, d'you wanna jump in? That's fine with me."

I was expecting Byakuya to make some kind of dour refusal, but to my surprise he drew his sword fluidly and said quite expressionlessly, "I see talking is useless."

I gaped at him.

"Hey, wait a moment!" I said, limping quickly between them, "Don't you think there's been enough fighting?" I pointed at myself. "I'm kinda in need of medical attention, here!" Sure, I was keen to see two Captains fighting - I bet that shit didn't happen every day - but hadn't things escalated enough? Were all shinigamis so quick to turn to violence to solve their problems?!

Byakuya completely ignored me. _"Scatter,_ Senbonzakura." he murmured, and the air shivered with power.

My eyes widened, and I fell back a few steps, staring up at the millions of delicate, shimmering... cherry blossoms?... swirling in the air around us.

 _This sword release is unexpectedly... flamboyant_ , I thought to myself, staring at the impassive face of my crush. Too be honest, I had begun questioning my decision to crush on the handsome captain; after all, looks aren't everything. I'm an easy-going person, after all, and I like simple things such as good food and pleasant company. My stalking of the sexy Captain hadn't revealed much in the way of personality; I had begun to suspect he really was just a sulky pretty face. But this development was interesting. What was _really_ lurking behind that stony expression...?

"Hey, Byakuya," I said in surprise, "You're actually... a really passionate guy, aren't you?"

* * *

Kuchiki Byakuya stared at the young woman gazing at him knowingly. Ignoring for a moment what she'd just said... Had she just called him by _his_ _first name_? Captain Zaraki was one thing, but this woman - she really had some nerve...!

And it seemed she wasn't done yet.

"Your hand is injured. Let me see," she said next, with a smirk, and _grabbed his hand_. He was so shocked he froze up completely. She _dared_ touch him...?

She inspected the small cut on his palm - there was only a few spots of blood staining his sleeve - and looked mischievously up at him with those big blue eyes. "Just superficial," she breathed, her head lowering towards his hand, "Don't worry... I'll kiss it better..."

 _WHAT THE FU-!?_

* * *

I pouted as Captain Sexyhair abruptly jerked his hand away, glaring at me with those stormy grey eyes. Oh yeah, _now_ I could see it, behind that impassive facade of stillness. He was bad-tempered, impulsive... _possibly_ sexually frustrated (which might just be wishful thinking on my part, but you never know...).

It took a few moments for him to get all his _feelings_ in order. Eventually he managed a "Don't touch me." his tone as even as if he was simply remarking on the weather.

 _Too smooth, Sexyhair_ , _too smooth_. I thought smugly. _I'm not fooled. You're probably swearing at me inside._

I stuck my tongue out cutely and shrugged - instantly regretting it, as something ominous _crunched_ in my shoulder at the movement. Yowch.

Kenpachi burst into raucous laughter. "BAHAHAHAHAAH! Oh, I didn't know you were _together!"_

"Yes." I confirmed immediately.

"Don't be ridiculous." Byakuya said at the same time.

"Riiiight," I teased him with a smirk, sidling closer, " _Of course_ there's nothing going on..." I sent Kenpachi a very obvious wink, making him laugh even harder.

"What are you doing?" Kuchiki asked, staring at me.

"Do you wanna go out with me?" I blurted. Funny, I usually had more tact than this. Didn't I?

He stared at me in disbelief for a moment, before very deliberately turning away and gazing fixedly into the distance.

I felt a glow of triumph spreading within - he'd _almost_ seemed frustrated there, and had chosen not to reply. His cool exterior was already starting to show cracks.

Realizing he was intruding on a (soon-to-be) lover's spat, Kenpachi finally sheathed his sword. "Okay, okay, I'll stop fightin' your girlfriend for tonight," he promised Byakuya, whose impassive expression darkened a fraction.

 _Yup, definitely hiding a lot of fire there._

He grinned at me, showing all his teeth like a shark, "But don't think this is over - get nice and healed up for round two, 'kay? We'll have some more _fun_ soon."

"Uh..." I couldn't exactly fake enthusiasm for that, could I?

He gave a casual salute and flash-stepped away.

Byakuya's cherry blossoms faded on the air, as he sheathed his sword, too.

Silence.

Well, not completely.

A cricket was chirruping somewhere nearby.

 _Chirrup, chirrup, chirrup_...

Said the cricket.

Byakuya looked at me at last, expression unreadable. "Let's return; the Fourth Squad should have arrived-"

I flopped dramatically to the ground. "I don't think I can walk..." I looked at him meaningfully, holding out my one good arm so he could lift me up, princess-cradle-style...

His unimpressed stare didn't change one bit, and then he merely turned on his heel and walked away, haori waving in the light breeze.

I pouted and bounced up to my feet again, limping fast to catch up.

 _Ah well, it was worth a shot._

* * *

Emerging onto the field beside my rescuer, I was relieved to see the familiar and reassuring silhouette of my favourite captain, surrounded by busy members of her Fourth Squad. They had stretchers out and were in the process of removing the unconscious cretins who were the first to attack me.

"Retsu!" I chirruped happily, limping forward with a friendly wave (using my good arm).

Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of my blood-drenched figure.

 _"Raen!_ What on earth-!" she strode forward and took a firm grip on my shoulder, evidently expecting me to keel over at any moment.

"I'm f _\- bleugh,"_ I spat out a piece of lung, "-fine."

Her mouth narrowed into a thin line and she manhandled me easily onto a waiting stretcher. I had to admit, lying down felt nice.

"Stay," she warned me, in a tone I knew better than to argue with. She turned to Byakuya. "Where is Captain Zaraki?" she asked calmly. The air was heavy with killing intent.

Even he seemed wary of her mood as he replied stiffly, "He departed about ten minutes ago."

I noticed her hand flexing menacingly at her side. "I think I'll have a word with him..."

I struggled into a sitting position, the torn muscles of my chest protesting painfully. "Retsu, not you too!" I complained.

She turned and looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Stop moving. You shouldn't even be talking in your condition."

"Why does everybody have to fight?" I asked wearily. "Besides, he didn't do _this_ to me," I gestured vaguely at the hole through my chest. "I got stabbed in the back by three of my classmates _before_ he arrived."

Renji, who I hadn't seen since he'd had bis stomach almost booted through his spine by Kenpachi, caught my last sentence and joined us. "That reminds me, I have some questions before I can write up the report on what happened here."

Unohana frowned, "She shouldn't be talking."

I felt relieved as she knelt at the side of my stretcher, no longer on the way to beat some sense into Kenpachi. Which was good, because I was beginning to think all shinigami were bloodthirsty thugs at heart.

"I just want to understand why all of this happened." Renji hastily assured Unohana.

I narrowed my eyes at him from my increasingly comfortable lying position. "You're not still going to arrest me, are you?" I asked suspiciously.

Unohana turned an incredulous look on Renji, "I should think _not!"_

I couldn't see her expression from my angle, but suddenly Renji paled and waved his hands placatingly, "Of c-course not," he stuttered weakly, "Raen isn't getting arrested! I wouldn't- That is to say, it was merely protocol to-"

Byakuya gave an almost inaudible sigh. "Renji."

Renji turned to his Captain in relief, "Yes, sir?"

"Just ask your questions and let's wrap this up."

"Of course." he took a moment to compose himself.

In the meantime, Unohana's hands had begun to glow with a powerful healing kido over my chest, and I couldn't help a relieved whimper at the blessed cessation of pain. At my muffled sound, I sensed Captain Sexyhair's impassive gaze on me again. What was he thinking about? I put it out of my mind for the moment, simply enjoying the sensation. Instead of the agony I'd been somehow ignoring, it felt as though cool water washed over my wounds, soothing my torn flesh and muscles. And ruptured organs... shattered bones... severed nerve endings... slashed arteries... and-

"Your injuries are horrific." muttered Unohana, a frown on her gentle face. "I can't believe you're still conscious, never mind walking around without help." She sent a disapproving glance at Byakuya, who blinked.

"If she could walk, she's obviously not _that_ badly injured." he stated coldly.

Unohana opened her mouth to keep arguing-

"He's right, Retsu, I'm fine." I said weakly, and coughed. Yeah, I was seriously injured, but at the same time... I was feeling weirdly good. Being fussed over was kind of... nice. Everyone on the field was there because of me. Unohana cared for my well-being, Sexyhair jumped in to save me from getting beaten up any further by Kenpachi... Who was the cause of all the drama, since he had taken an interest in fighting me.

They all knew my name. My existence meant something to them.

Just a few hours before, I had felt lonely and unwanted, a pariah among my own peers at the Academy. Even though I had ended up getting impaled, having _some_ positive attention was certainly a nice change.

"You're not fine," growled Unohana, sounding fierce despite her gentle appearance, "Your reiatsu is unusually dense, which is why I suspect you're still alive, but this was a serious attack. And this whole time you've been in terrible pain-"

"Mm." I nodded fervently, "Please don't stop healing yet." I begged. Now that the adrenaline had well and truly worn off, if Unohana stopped healing me, the pain would probably be even worse.

Byakuya was also frowning at me now, in... surprise? Had he really thought my wounds weren't that bad?

Renji finally entered the conversation, crouching down on my left. "So, why did this all happen? Why did your classmates attack you in the first place?"

"Because they're assholes?"

"Raen, be serious." he admonished.

I sighed. "Well... I've been using the training fields for several days now. They wanted to kick me out, and refused to compromise when I said we could share." I cleared my throat uncomfortable, tasting the tang of blood from talking.

"That's it?" he seemed skeptical.

I huffed. "Yes, that's it. They were very unreasonable. I was kicking their asses in-" I gave a painful cough, "-hand-to-hand, but then three of 'em got behind me, and..." I gestured vaguely with my uninjured hand at my chest wound.

"Is that when you released your reiatsu?"

"Mm." I hummed vaguely, wondering if I should keep my conversation with my zanpakuto secret. For some reason it always felt too private to discuss these things with others... It was _my_ sword, it was _my_ soul... Somehow, drawing attention to my abilities didn't seem like a smart idea. Although, it was a little late for that, now.

"It's not surprising her reiatsu spiked to the extent it did," Unohana suddenly added, looked very serious, "It's pretty clear they were aiming for your Hakusui - your Soul Sleep." she stated, glancing at my injuries with experienced eyes. Byakuya narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as his gaze drifted to the unconscious students laid out on the stretchers. From his cold look, I surmised that they were going to be in a _lot_ of trouble. How much trouble? Like, execution-trouble? They _had_ tried to kill me, but I didn't want...

I tried to refocus on what Retsu had said. "What does that- _hrrk-"_ I hacked a cough, spitting blood impatiently, "...mean?"

She raised her eyebrows at my ignorance, but her tone remained patient as she explained, "The Soul Sleep is a pressure point located in your spine. Generally, if it is hit correctly with spiritual power it forcibly takes away access to your reiatsu. In other words, you would no longer be a shinigami."

"Those _bastards!"_ I exclaimed, horrified. I would have been less upset if they had _just_ been trying to kill me. Especially now that I'd just met my zanpakuto. I would learn his name soon, I knew it. To have all of that ripped away would be unforgivable.

"Quite." she agreed, her lips twitching in amusement at my exclamation. "It seems that they hit it imperfectly, however, so there was no permanent damage. And in fact, the exit wound," she indicated my bandaged chest, "Is directly over your Saketsu - your Binding Chain - which is a different pressure point. _That_ may explain why you briefly lost control of your spiritual power."

"I see." I thought for a moment. "All things considered, I'm... pretty lucky, I guess?"

Unohana smiled at my upbeat attitude, and raised a green-glowing hand. "I'm going to help you rest now." she explained. "You'll wake up some time tomorrow. Judging by the density of your reiatsu, you should be completely healed up in about a week."

I smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks," I said sincerely. My gaze travelled past her to Byakuya, who was looking at me again. "You, too, Byakuya. I appreciate your help." Something about the coldness in his eyes as he had stared at my foolish, unconscious classmates bothered me, though. I felt my smile slowly fade from my face as I regarded him. My tone became serious, for once. "Don't-" I coughed again, but I was determined to finish speaking. "-Don't be too harsh on them, Captain Kuchiki."

Whether it was my unusual use of his formal title, or the tone of my voice, I didn't know, but his expression shifted, contemplative. Appraising me as if trying to read my thoughts. "...Why?" he asked at last.

"This world only recognizes the strong," I replied, holding his gaze unflinchingly, "They must have been under immense pressure to prove themselves worthy of the Advanced Class. My arrival probably threatened their hard-earned positions; their actions were out of fear, not malice. I would like for you to keep that in mind."

He made no reply, but it _seemed_ like he was thinking about what I said, and that's all I could do. With a sigh I relaxed and let my head tilt back, eyes fluttering closed as exhaustion swept over me.

"Sleep, now." Unohana murmured, and I felt her cool palm lightly touch my forehead.

The welcome darkness took me, and I knew no more.

* * *

Unohana Retsu rose gracefully to her feet and shook a few loose strands of grass from her haori. She turned to the other Captain, who was still gazing down at the now-unconscious young woman with an indecipherable expression.

"Not just a pretty face, is she?" she commented quietly.

His dark grey eyes flicked up to her immediately, but he made no reply.

She gave a knowing smile.

He made a dismissive huffing sound and walked away.

It had been a night full of surprises.


End file.
